I have spent the last month slowly getting ready for the trip in June. On the one hand, it seems like there has not been that much to do. On the other hand the List Of Things To Accomplish Before Leaving doesn't ever seem to get any shorter. I suppose this is not surprising. In fact it's rather the way of things in the world today. But it presents an interesting conundrum; at some point you come to the realization that you have to do a bit of triage and begin figuring out which things must be completed before your hard deadline (in this case the morning of June 15), and Things That Can Be Deferred Until You Return. There are two corollary lists: Things That Must Be Addressed to Get Them to a State Where They Can Be Deferred, and Things It Makes No Sense to Deal With Until After.
Without wanting to seem overly morbid, or have anyone read too much into the inner workings of my brain (heaven forbid) I wonder if this is also a commentary on our lives, and deaths. We have this constant list of Things That Must Be Done, but the fact of the matter is, one day we'll leave this temporal world, and that unfinished List won't ever be completed...or even matter. I'm not trying to sound Ecclesiastical here, but it does put some things into perspective.
Point being, I will continue to diligently work at my Lists, but the morning of June 15 will arrive, one way or another. I refuse to beat myself up for not getting everything done, as originally scheduled. It seems to me that the only thing that accomplishes is to make one feel stressed, and miserable, and a failure, and I don't think that's a good message to have rattling around in one's skull.
I've been quite proud of a number of my students, as they have been quite diligent about hiking with Ty and me on the weekends. Unfortunately, this means they will probably be in good enough shape that I won't be able to secretly take joy at all their huffing and puffing and extreme tiredness the first few days of the trek while "the old guys" power through in relatively fine condition. Oh well, schadenfreude doesn't look that good on me anyway I guess.
With the holiday weekend, I decided to take an extra day vacation from work and visit my favorite vacation spot in Hawaii: Kona, on the Big Island. It's quiet, has nice beaches, but not the hustle and bustle of Honolulu. I'm here with a couple of good friends, and I'm glad of their company. This will likely be the last bit of peace before the trip to Spain, so again, I'm trying to enjoy myself without feeling the need to constantly do things or be on the go.
Nonetheless, I am looking forward to the trip. I'm very excited about this group of
students, very glad to have a companion in Ty, and am looking forward to
the time out of my regular routine. I have another List I've been
compiling: Things to Sort Out With Myself and God on the Camino. Much
like my other lists, this one is long, and in danger of not being
completed, but that's OK. I've learned that both my brain and God work
on their own schedules, and I often have depressingly little influence
on either.
Also with the holiday weekend, I'm mindful of and grateful for the sacrifice of so many who have fought for our freedom; past and continuing. In the current political climate, it's easy to focus on the negative. I'd encourage you, this Memorial Day, to instead focus on how truly extraordinary our freedom is, and the luxuries it allows us, and more importantly, to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could enjoy those freedoms, and the responsibility we have that stems from that sacrifice. If you've lost a loved one in the service of our country; thank you for your sacrifice; I mourn with you in your loss and as you remember.
