"Things To Come"

It's January of 2011 and my expected departure is still 4 months away. I must admit, the closer it gets the more I'm looking forward to it. After a lazy Saturday of working on websites, catching up on movies and generally lounging around, I came to realize something... I could seriously get used to this!

I know that having nothing to do is going to get boring after a while. I think every blogger has written a post (or two) about the hell of another day stuck in a strange place with no set routine. Still, there are a few things to come that I'm honestly looking forward to. Here's a small list of some of them.

• Waking up whenever I want - Words cannot express how much I'm waiting for this one. To wake up and know that I can go right back to sleep = heaven. It will probably need to wait until I find my own place to live. I don't see it happening that often in a hostel environment.

• Working for myself - I like getting a steady paycheck as much as the next guy, but if I'm going to work insane hours; I want it to be for myself. I have a few online ventures and I've wanted to see how far I can take them. This will give me a chance to do so and help keep boredom at bay.

• Being responsible for nobody but myself - In my current location, I'm responsible for over 20 people. They're all responsible adults, but as a manager in a remote location, I'm still responsible for them. An employee has issues with base housing? It's my job to fix the problem. Family issues back home that an they need to talk to someone about? I'm the willing ear. They get sick and have to be medevac'd out of here? I'm the one that has to make it happen.
  
  Don't misunderstand me; I think we've got a great team here and I know they work hard to make sure a lot of those issues never reach me. Still, it's inevitable that something will sooner or later happen and that knowledge grows awfully heavy after a while. A phone call at 8pm should not send my blood pressure through the roof before I even answer. I'll miss the people, but not the crushing sense of responsibility. If that sounds like a cop-out.. well, I'm sorry.

• Re-discovering my love for the outdoors - There was a time when I spent the bulk of my day outdoors. Granted, sometimes it wasn't by choice, but I (almost) always enjoyed it. These days, I spend so much time working indoors that sunlight is a faded memory. Truth be told, I'm turning into a bit of an AC wuss. Definitely need to get back outdoors.

• Decent Internet - I've spent the last six years in a place that has Internet slightly (and I mean slightly) faster than dial up. I know that the Internet while traveling is hit or miss, but for three glorious weeks I'll be in the US visiting family and I look forward to being able to watch a youtube video without having to wait three hours for it to load. It's the little things in life. ;)

Undoubtedly more things to come as I think of them. What were some of the things that you were looking forward to before you left?

 

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