swiftprofessional

I’m an overly cautious person by nature, but at times, I allow my fears to influence my decisions which can be good in some cases, but it can also be bad in others. A good example is that I hate making left turns in traffic. Why? First, I got into a wreck at 18 making a left turn when I failed to see a car coming from the left as I pulled out into traffic. It’s just too much of a hassle and wait to make a left turn. I’m also sort of afraid of driving especially at night because of poor vision and a bad sense of direction.

I think sometimes my fears have hindered me. I had a boring college experience because I wasn’t assertive enough in high school and wound up at a local university instead of really getting ready to do what I really wanted to do. And I was afraid of relocating.

The local community college players held several performances and I went to one. Really and truly I’d have loved to see “Avenue Q” in NYC for the genuine Broadway experience (fancy dress, nice theater, post-show cocktails…). But the CC players did an outstanding job with this show, so it was well worth seeing locally. If I laughed till my ribs ached, then it was a good show.

I wouldn’t cross this goal off my list, but I’m a step closer to doing it.

I drove to Moab with a couple of co-workers for one week. We didn’t really do many stops en route, except for Sky city Casino in NM where I won $24 at the slots (my friend won nearly $400, lucky bastard).

In Utah, we did make the most of our time by canyoneering, kayaking, white water rafting, hiking in the Devil’s Garden, and even roaming about the main drag looking for something to eat in our idle time. It was my first time driving on a major road trip, first time doing every activity mentioned above, really. But I enjoyed every minute of it.

Christopher McCandless realized that “Happiness is only real when shared,” shortly before he passed on. I thought a lot about that during the trip. At times, I enjoyed having companions to share in the thrills, but there were times when they drove me nuts with teasing me about my fear of making left turns and other quirks. That’s when I realized why McCandless set out on his journey by himself. I’d never go solo, but I can see why some people do it.