transition

Life is always in transition but for me, this seems to be a common theme. Coming back to the US, I moved myself for the 25th time. Needless to say, I've become pretty good at packing and relocating quickly, Peru being the ultimate testiment to that. I was able to pack out my entire Peruvian life in just under 12 hours - and that included quite a bit of dawdling on the computer (damn Conquer Club!). When all was said and done, I packed up everything I cared to take with me into 4 suitcases and a box for a grand total of 100 kg (220 lbs) worth of cargo. $670 later, I had all my personal goods back to the States where it joined the rest of my crap, which had been waiting in storage for 5 years since leaving California to go teach abroad. Yes, my stuff is sitting currently in my parents' garage and I'm currently living in their basement - feel free to poke fun of me if you so desire.

Now that I'm back, I'm starting to settle in. One thing that I've noticed is that a lot of my friends that I had before I left the States are really starting to get in contact with me and they share a common theme.

"When are you coming back to visit?"

Sorry friends but I'm going to admit something publicly that may offend some of you but hey, its my blog and I'm gonna write what I wanna write.

My initial thought to answering this question was, "Soon, just let me get settled and I'll come out to visit." But then I got to thinking - why should I have to do all the traveling?

I've been traveling for the better part of 30 years and have always been the one to go somewhere else to visit my friends because they were located there. In my youth, that is completely understandable as kids are somewhat tied to their parents. But we've all entered a point now where we (as people in the 30something category) have the choice to travel anywhere we want with the family that we have. So when my brain got to pondering, it made me think, "Why don't you come visit me for a change?"

I recognize that vacation time is precious in the States as most people tend to get about 2 weeks a year when they start working. By now, most of my peers have been working long enough that they should be in the 4 week range, depending how long they've been with an employer. I also recognize that I've always been extremely mobile and willing to travel great distances to see my friends (its easier when you're single) but at this point in my life, I'm starting to get weary of being the weary traveler.

So my friends who are reading this - New Mexico is a wonderful place to visit and you should do so before I find a job and leave the "Land of Enchantment" because you never know when you might come back. For those of you who are reading just because you are reading, when was the last time YOU made the long trip to go see a friend?