The following post was started before my departure, but I wasn’t able to finish it while staying the last few days at my brother’s house. The main reason: when a six year old runs up to you and excitingly asks, “Alex, will you play with me?” it’s really hard to say “no”.
Nevertheless, I would like to take a moment to thank my family and friends for many reasons:
- For supporting me every step of the way with this big decision
- For offering all kinds of helpful assistance, including
- taking care of my furniture
- storing my personal items
- managing my mail
- allowing me to sleep over
- For hosting awesome goodbye dinners and parties
- For letting me know they are just a phone call or message away
- For simply taking the time to wish me well
Several friends also wrote letters and two gave personalized gifts. The first is a compass with the engraving, “To find your way down the unwalked path and back home again”, which cleverly refers to one of my posts.
The second is a ring with the engraving, “I am home wherever I am”. It was slightly too large for my finger, so I added a leather strap and turned it into a necklace.
Admittedly, it would have be great to have slightly more time, as there were a few people I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to, and a precious few that I would have loved to spend more time with. But most major and wonderful decisions are usually accompanied with minor and undesired shortcomings.
My life has been exhilarating these past few months, filled with a new awareness of the passing of time, and I cherished the moments leading up to Monday. My incredibly large credit card statements in the last two months prove just how much celebrating this translates into, but the time is also filled with memories to last a lifetime.
So, once again, thank you.