Further reflections

As I was thinking about my previous post, I realized that it was rather focused on acquiring material things. In fact, that wasn't really my main purpose at all (in the post or the weekend). The past few weeks/months have been preparing myself for the next phase of my life - a phase hopefully involving health, loved ones, good friends, and activities and a career I can enjoy. I'd done pretty well with the emotional, educational, and health-related preparations, and this weekend I needed to finish preparing my space and my wardrobe so I could feel confident moving forward.

One thing that was new this weekend was I actually enjoyed myself shopping. I gave myself a budget to work within (which I stuck to), and then I was able to admire the beauty of the creations of others. In fact, things I didn't like initially, I realized the beauty in them later. For example, this top looked bizarre on a hanger. It really looked like a blind person sat at the sewing machine. I volunteered to try it on, as the three of us really wanted to see what this odd piece of fabric looked like on a person (it was unclear where your arms went). And in fact, it was a rather cool shirt, and I saw the reason behind the shapes.

While I do consider people as spiritual beings in a material world, we do live in the material world and that affects us. It was helpful for me to be able to gather a collection of items that will give me the confidence and eagerness to face a new, challenging direction in life. It's not without its pains and trials, but I'm one step closer to success I think.

I'm also realizing how much I'm leaving Columbia, mostly on day trips. I guess I got the "road trip" fever while living in Ithaca, but I'm delighting in how close different places are to Columbia. Columbia's main advantage is the central location... there's not a lot here, but it's not that far from anything. Plus, a lot of good times can be had in the car and on a road trip, and you appreciate whatever you're doing more because there was more effort put into doing it.