It’s about 4:30 AM as I’m writing this. Why I’m awake at this hour I’m not quite sure, but I am finding a distinct peace of mind in this strange hour.
I’ve found that I rather enjoy being up with the sun and winding down with it. Daylight is too beautiful a thing to waste. It lights the soul, excites the mind and invigorates the body. I recently watched the documentary 180° South. It concerns one man’s trip to Patagonia and I’ll be honest, I never realized just how beautiful Patagonia was until I saw this. Have to add that to my travel list. Anyway, for anyone with any sort of curiosity for the world I’d recommend it, it’s not the best made film nor the clearest, but the scope of the journey and the mentality that it does such a wonderful job of capturing are things that reverberated with me in an incredibly genuine manner.
My penultimate semester at Chapman University concluded last Friday. The last portion of the semester was in no manner easy between the projects, papers and finals. But all in all, the semester went very well and I can have no complaints. It looks as if all of the courses I need at the University of Melbourne will work out for me, but I won’t know till I’m actually down under. Currently working on the preliminary forms and course selection for City University in London as well. Now enter Christmas Break, the last two weeks I’ll really have to relax and spend some quality time with my family and friends from home. After this, it’s 3 weeks of interterm entailing accounting and web development courses, work and more prep work for both Melbourne and Australia, then 2 weeks at home getting everything in order and packed for the semester in Melbourne. And then the walkabout begins and I have a feeling my feet will barely hit the ground for almost two years. Although it feels as if it really began over a year ago, quite honestly I’d be content with it not ending for some time. There’s a whole lot of things I intend to accomplish and places to immerse myself in. I’m already mildly overwhelmed and overexcited for still being 56 days out and that likely has something to do with me being up at what is now 5:00 AM.
Oh well. I find myself in such a different place than from where I ever expected to be at this point, and there are no regrets to be found in me, only gratitude that I’ve made it to here and have the opportunities that I do. The changes I find realized in myself over the last year are on many levels. It comes down to a mindset of self improvement, curiosity, wonder, joy and a passion for doing things the right way. These things drive men, they resonate with me and I fully intend to run with them.
Gone Walkabout 