One year ago I gave away most of my belongings, packed my bags and left home, or at least what had been home. I was running away from a life that had left me confused and feeling stranded, and running towards… something else. I knew not what. I’ve been living in various cities for the last year: Dublin, Copenhagen, London, Edinburgh, and Montevideo, with stops in other places for shorter periods (San Francisco, New York, Vancouver). When I was in Ireland, the first place I landed after leaving Maryland, I got myself a tattoo of the constellations of the Big and Little Bears, or the North Star and its pointer stars. I was trying to find direction again.
It’s been a year. Where am I now? Well, currently I’m in the U.S. again for a few weeks. I’m attending a conference (Drupalcon) and seeing friends and family, before heading back overseas. I’ve decided to give Copenhagen a go as my new home city. I have friends there and I just like the feel of the city. Its attitude suits me. I’m still nervous about “settling” down anywhere in particular, and only time will tell if I really can for now. The last year has been an amazing journey and learning experience. I ended up meeting a lot of great people and more important than getting to know particular cities, I got a much better sense of what kind of place I’m comfortable in. I got a little better sense of who I am and what matters to me. I wouldn’t say that I’m clear on what lies ahead for me, but I’m more relaxed and more confident about being able to get my bearings and seek out positive places, people and experiences. No matter where I choose to live most of the time, finding positive spaces and being at peace with myself are the most important things I needed to sort out (and am still sorting out).
I guess the important place where I am right now is that I am tiring of the travel and feeling a draw to have a home base again. I like the idea of being able to spend enough time with people to let true, deep friendships really blossom. I want the time in one place to get to know it in that comfortable pair of shoes way. I also long to get back to some of my hobbies like brewing some beer or maybe a little gardening, both of which require a little more stable situation over a period of time for me to really settle back into them. I wanted to feel a draw for these things before I chose a place to drop my bags, and the feeling has been growing stronger for a few months now. The time is right to at least pause, take a deep breath, and try a different kind of new destination than yet another city.
So, here is to another year of exploration and discovery, still traveling on the road of the inward journey, but within the borders of a land called Denmark.
RockTreeSky 