June 4th, 2001

Got me thinking of a song, actually. Yeah yeah... pretty lame I know. Actually I heard it on the Internet Radio as I was getting things finished up. Seemed eerily approriate...

And love...
Is not the easy thing...
The only baggage...
That you can bring...
Is all that you can't leave behind.
(paraphrased)

That's U2. You may have heard the song on the radio... it's in rotation right now. It's called Walk On.

After a lot of thought, I have decided that the only baggage I'm going to bring on this trip is the stuff in my suitcases and carry-ons. Everything else can piss off.
A friend of mine named Greg, (yes, you Greg. I know you're reading this stuff. ;) said something to me once that, as time goes on seems to make more and more sense:
I've divided all the problems in my life into two categories - Life Threatening and Everything Else.

I think it's time I do the same. Most of the shit I worry about on a day to day basis just isn't worth it. I've spent the past 10 months going through the ringer from everything... my job... my personal life. And it just isn't worth it.
Simplify, simplify.
Reminds me of some things that Robert Pirsig has written... that it seems like humans, as time progresses, in the attempt to make things simpler actually make them more complex. I've seen myself doing this as well.
He also talks about Quality(with a capital Q), and patterns of value. I think I'm going to kick back and figure out what I need in my life for a more "Quality" existence. I've thrown out all the old preconceptions, it's time to start from scratch and build from the ground up.

It's a good thing that I'm getting away... disapearing for a while. I desperately need perspective. I've come to realize the importance of this trip. One way or the other, after this trip, everything changes. So, this is a goodbye of sorts.
When I get back, I'm not going to be the same person.

It's time to shed this skin.