All 365 days of 2014 came and went without a single post from me. After years marked by exotic wanderings, hard-earned degrees, and excitement around every corner, nothing about my day-to-day activity stood out to me as update worthy. After all, I named this blog "Adventure" and had come to know adventure as a physical discovery of previously unknown places and experiences. Adventure required a stimulation of the mind and senses. There had to be shock-value. Canoeing alongside hippos, studying at the prestigious institution that produced the likes of Charles Darwin and Gordon Brown, watching the first rays of morning light overtake the complete darkness of night atop a mountain generally unknown to the world. St. Louis and all of it's hometown, American familiarity could not be an adventure, could it? And who would I be without adventure after I had let it so strongly define and guide my life the last few years?
When I look back on 2014 I realize it was a subtle adventure of self-discovery and realization. I made it through my first year in a 'grown-up' job and have surely learned more than I am even aware of yet. As cliche as it is, I am more aware of what I want in a career and what interests me. Somewhat aware, but not exactly sure yet. Humanitarian aid or international education? Law school or PhD? I lived in a way that felt more like I was settled in a home than on a constant holiday. I think they call this the Real World. This has undeniably left me teetering between comfort and languor, and I am still so unsure of where I want to be. Some of the most fantastic individuals wandered back into my life. After years of bouncing around the globe, they have reminded me how fulfilling, and completely vital, relationships are. The kind that don't depend on epic shared experiences (though those too have their place). They have also taught me how valuable independence and self-reliance will be. Relationships have the power to skyrocket you to the highest high but also drown you in an inescapable low if you aren't careful. If there is one thing that has made leaving St. Louis complicated, it's those people. Damn you :)
If I consider the year as a whole, it was an important one for me. Certainly not an easy one, maybe even my hardest, but probably a necessary one in a lot of ways. No idea what to expect from 2015 but perhaps that is all part of the adventure.
When I look back on 2014 I realize it was a subtle adventure of self-discovery and realization. I made it through my first year in a 'grown-up' job and have surely learned more than I am even aware of yet. As cliche as it is, I am more aware of what I want in a career and what interests me. Somewhat aware, but not exactly sure yet. Humanitarian aid or international education? Law school or PhD? I lived in a way that felt more like I was settled in a home than on a constant holiday. I think they call this the Real World. This has undeniably left me teetering between comfort and languor, and I am still so unsure of where I want to be. Some of the most fantastic individuals wandered back into my life. After years of bouncing around the globe, they have reminded me how fulfilling, and completely vital, relationships are. The kind that don't depend on epic shared experiences (though those too have their place). They have also taught me how valuable independence and self-reliance will be. Relationships have the power to skyrocket you to the highest high but also drown you in an inescapable low if you aren't careful. If there is one thing that has made leaving St. Louis complicated, it's those people. Damn you :)
If I consider the year as a whole, it was an important one for me. Certainly not an easy one, maybe even my hardest, but probably a necessary one in a lot of ways. No idea what to expect from 2015 but perhaps that is all part of the adventure.
