Get Out The Map

Trapped. I'm feeling a little bit trapped.

You see, I've spoiled myself (and have been spoiled by others) for the past year and a half and have been, as those Indigo Girls would say "...still trying to live half a life on the road...". Truth be told, as you can see here, I've spent well more than half my life on the road lately and loved every minute of it. Somehow the math on the freelancing and the finances just worked itself out and it was a rare case of having both the time and the money to cut loose.

Now I'm settling into the new "job", learning my way around Denver without GoogleMaps, and really loving seeing the mountains twice a day during my commute. What I'm not loving is this idea that I won't be taking any big trips this year. I know, I know - see: spoiled, above. I've gotten very used to swapping my apartment, popping off to see beloved friends, and generally not being expected to get up, get dressed, and be anywhere in particular for long periods at a stretch.

A year ago this week I was banging my cabeza against my own terrible Spanish and making my way to teensy, remote Cabuya, Costa Rica. The only plan was to find a comfy hammock, teach a little English, read voraciously and work on my skin cancer for 6 weeks straight. What I wouldn't give...

But that's not the kind of big trip that I'll miss during this upcoming year of self-imposed poverty and a regular work schedule. Costa Rica, Amsterdam, Barcelona, San Sebastian, the DR, Rome -- those were all ventures I undertook alone, for a variety of reasons. What I'll miss is sitting with Libby, Amy, Chris & Brian on a terrace, hanging over a cliff in Denia, overlooking the Mediterranean and thinking it completely normal to have Bailey's in our coffee every morning and at least a bottle each of red wine every night. I'll miss stuffing a dozen grapes in our gullets at midnight on New Year's Eve. I'll miss us all on lounge chairs, all reading Bill Bryson. Shit, I'll even miss learning new and (not)interesting facts about bats.

I'll miss sailing, swimming and kayaking the "Postcard Blue" waters of St. Thomas with Lisa, Karen & Denae, and washing it all down with lobster and a cold bottle of Carib. Since I'm telling the truth - I'll even miss the sunburn that came with that last one. I'll also miss all the couch sitting that I got to do, from Texas to California, New York to Arizona, Colorado and the Keys... it was such a joy to not have to rush off and to absorb as much as I could of everyone's lives of late.

What to do? Woe is me. I can tell that I won't get much sympathy from this crowd. But I can also tell that The Campaign is already working, a little. The Campaign to lure y'all to the Rockies this year so that we can still enjoy our time together, without having to wait so damn long to see each others' faces. The mountains are gorgeous. The air is clear. There's no beach but then again, we've been there and done that. I can barely believe all the pretty... c'mon, you're not done spoiling me yet, are you?