but I'm a blog. . .i'm a blogger. . .what the hell am I doin' here?

Two years ago, a friend and I were wandering down a trail back in Missoula. . .we had delicious sandwiches in our bags and our bikes to our sides. We wanted to walk and talk, so we just pushed our bikes down the gravel road. We were discussing the coming year. . .I was about to embark on my last year of grad school, and at the end of that year, I would be moving away from my home of three years, and catapulting myself into the world once again. . .

See, change was on the horizon and my friend and I had to deal with the consequences of that coming change.

Change. . .it comes in all shapes and sizes. . .sometimes it is subtle like the noticing of a new freckle, sometimes it is bold like a sudden lightening storm, sometimes it goes jingle-jingle in your pocket (see what I did there?). . .however, it happens. . .most people find it unnerving. My friend and I did that day. . .

I have to admit. . .I was ready to go. I loved that home, I loved Missoula, but I was ready to leave. I wanted to see where I would go. Trepidation certainly lurked in my gut, but as always, I looked at the world and the future with endless possibilities. My friend was a bit more hesitant. . .rightly so. What would we do without each other? She was my confidante. . .she was there to encourage me when my ridiculous relationships inevitably fell apart, she was there to celebrate every one of my performances, and she was even there when the insidious influenza wreaked havoc on my body. . .but. . .

I had to move on. . .

and so did she. . .

we just didn't like the idea. . .

but, I graduated (with straight A's for all three years--thank you), and I moved out. . .went on tour, and then moved to South Korea. . .

Change came. . .

as it always does. . .

In fact. . .Change just keeps on a' comin'. . .no matter where you are. . .BUT, I think change happens more frequently in South Korea, than anywhere else. .

Yesterday, there was a building in my alley. . .today, that building is gone. . .tomorrow, I bet there will be a newer and better building in that same spot. Koreans are perfect at makeovers. They would put 'Extreme Makeover' to shame. One day, there is a run down sort of store that sells beer and soju, and the next day, it is turned into a clinic that sells Biotech Body Products. . .whatever that is. . .there is no in between. . .when South Korean business men decide something needs to change, they do it swiftly and stylishly. . .

Now, if only one of them made the decision to modify the malodorous essence of this place. . . but that's another blog. . .

Accordingly, my life is in concurrence with the changing architecture. There is no sense of settlement in the life of an English Teacher in Korea. . .it is the embodiment of the transient lifestyle even though you are in one place. . .

let me explain. . .

People are on yearly contracts. . .and these contracts expire all the time. . .no one is ever on the same schedule. . .just like birthdays, you rarely find yourself on the same track as someone else. . .so you are either saying welcome, or saying goodbye on a daily basis. . .AND not only are people always coming and going, but you also find yourself amongst an extremely broad range of personalities, which are daunting, frustrating, and in those small moments exciting.

But, because time, place and people are so precarious. . .we are constantly juggling in and out of sorts. . .

We are constantly changing. . .

For one who traveled for nearly 10 years, you would think this lifestyle would be easy. . .It isn't. . .because, as I learn how precious time and people are throughout my travels, I invest more into them. . .so, losing them becomes harder.

Don't get me wrong. . .I always get a good return on the investment. . .

This summer, I made a lovely new friend. . .he came, he saw, he conquered Korea, and now he is gone. . .

In his wake, he leaves in me a new inspiration to learn guitar (I now know an E minor and an E major). . .I also gained lots of good times, memories, and friends. . .

However. . .

Like Shakespeare says. . ."parting is such sweet sorrow. .

'tis true. . .

But in the next line he says. . .

"I shall say goodnight till it be morrow."

We want the actual parting to be quick. . .so we can get to the missing, and so we know the 'meeting up' will be sooner, but because life is flippant and idiosyncratic, meeting up isn't guaranteed. . .

So. . . . .the ellipses in the last sentence note a pass in time. . .in the midst of writing, a Korean friend called me to hang out with him and his friends at a bar called Bar Gent. . .these are good people, good friends. . who miss (very much) my previously mentioned good friend. All of them, too, talked about change, we listened to songs about change and circumstance. . .we sang out loud to many of them. . .it was fun, it was sad, it was perfect. . .

My thought is this. . .the cliche is. . ."change is inevitable". . .yes. . .I agree. . .however, in dealing with the change we do find a bit of ourselves. . .I change when wonderful people walk into my life, and I change when they walk out.

My point is. . .we can't just note the change when bad things happen or even when the inevitable is on the horizon. . .we have to embrace all forms of change. . .the good and the bad and the architecture. . .(there is no ugly)

By investing everything we have into something, we get beautiful relationships and gorgeous buildings and amazing ideas. . .I think change comes from just 'doing life'. . .whatever that means.

By all means, fear it. . .cry at it. . .even flail your arms in a very gay like manner, but in the end, cherish the fact that all of it is a piece of you. . .

it has nothing to do with God, fate, or whatever religion you prescribe to. . .it has everything to do with taking it all as is. . .I learned that tonight. I hope you learn it, right now. . . DO IT NOW. . .(okay, you don't have to, but you'll regret it)

Now, my dear lovely readers. . .know, that I do love you no matter what you do. Because if you embrace life, cherish it, and take its adventures into your arms (whether it be through travel, marriage, parenthood, all three, or as a singleton). . .remember, in doing so, your passion becomes contagious. . .

and your quote. . .well two quotes. ..

"Our letters sound the same. Full of all our changing, that isn't change at all. Straight lines circle some times"--the Weakerthans-Left and Leaving

"Life belongs to the living. . .and he who lives, must live with changes. . "Goethe (one of my favorite people who inhabited the earth)

simple but easy quotes my furry friends. . .I had a lovely and unexpected night tonight because I went with the flow, and let what would be, be. . .I think if you remember the quote of my friend's mom in high school. . ."lock your door, wear your seatbelt, and remember who you are" (the last bit being the most important) then all will be well.

tight sleep. . .sleep sweet:)