Monday, July 30, 2007

A plan is forming

When the soul begins to cry out for something, we either listen and satiate its desires, or we ignore the calling and suffer the repercussions. At this age, I’ve learned it is always wiser to listen. The problem is, what the spirit desires is often difficult, if not impossible to attain. Luckily, in my case, what is being asked of me is reasonably easy to attain. My only obstacle will be money, but there are always ways of making more of that.

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to get away from my fellow Floridians. I have nothing in common with them, and have not enjoyed being around most of them for years now. The only thing keeping me here is the place and a very few people who are special to me. If it weren’t for Florida’s beaches, my small circle of close friends and family, and my desire to finish my degrees at Eckerd, I would be on my way. That is where the calling comes in.

I am going to travel. This world is full of beautiful places, and I want to make a concerted effort to see more of them. Next year I will be spending two weeks in Europe, as part of a school-related ‘term abroad’. The next year, I would like to visit Egypt, so that I can see the pyramids, the Valley of the Kings, and the remnants of their ancient civilization firsthand. Ever since childhood, I have had a fascination with ancient mythology and culture, so I plan to take other trips centered around seeing relics of ancient societies. Assuming I can afford such trips, I would like to take at least one a year, until I have had my fill. Of course, it’s not so simple as just hopping planes and going where the whim takes me.

Savannah College of Art and Design is almost certainly going to establish a satellite campus in the Tampa Bay area. Members of the faculty at Eckerd are actively lobbying for some sort of affiliation or collaboration between the two schools, which would hopefully bring SCAD to St. Petersburg. Assuming they do open a campus in the area, I am almost 100% certain that I will be doing a Masters in Fine Arts with them. If that happens, life will get more expensive and my time will be more consumed by art making, which means finding the time to travel and paying for flights, hotel rooms, food, etc will become much more difficult…but not impossible.

In the meantime, more domestic trips to Kentucky to see my brother and his family, as well as a few motorcycle journeys will have to happen. I am finding myself more compelled by wanderlust than at any time in my life to this point. Florida will always be home, as I can’t imagine living anywhere else, but I must do a better job of venturing out. I’m a crab by birth, so I have to stick close to the water, but I am also acutely aware that there is no place for me amongst the people here. So the only reasonable answer is to take periodic vacations from said people, while seeing more of this world and experiencing more of its magic. With any luck, my 30s will be well spent, expanding my mind and my life.

here there is a will, there is a Way.

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Posted by Erik @ 7/30/2007 09:25:00 AM