Yesterday, 19 February 2015, was the five-year anniversary of when Scott Brinkmeier fired me for kissing a 19-year-old woman.
(Frankly, I did not double-check the precise date even though it would be simple for me to open one of a dozen documents on my computer to confirm the date. I know that if I merely look at the titles of the documents in that folder, I will become very depressed. Therefore, it is possible my memory is off by a couple of days.)
The anniversary, 19 February, caught me by surprise. I guess I have been concentrating so much on my new lifestyle that in the first half of February, I did not think about the impending anniversary. Late on 18 February, however, I suddenly realized that it had been five years of struggle.
On 20 June 2005, I moved from Texas to Chicago to attend law school, which started in August 2005. I graduated in May 2008, took the bar exam in July 2008, and was licensed to practice law in November. I started my job on 1 February 2009 and was fired on 19 February 2010. From 20 June 2005 to 19 February 2010 is four years and eight months. Five years versus four years and eight months. Emotionally, yesterday was difficult, but I was still productive.
新年快乐！(Xīnnián kuàilè!)
Happy New (lunar) Year! The same date happens to be the start of the new year–the year of the 羊 (yáng), which is the year of the goat, sheep, or ram. I am using this serendipity to reinforce the new-ness of my new lifestyle.
Leaving Mexico
Tomorrow, 21 February 2015, my Mexican visa expires, so I will cross the border to Belize today or tomorrow. I have been actively changing my lifestyle for over a month now, so crossing the border into a country I have not visited before is not the beginning of my new life direction, but it is significant event, so I am also using the serendipitous timing of the event as a positive sign that my new direction is an improvement.
More information to come
I am in the middle of writing a series of posts about the changes that have happened, what the future may hold, and the many people who are supporting my new direction. To make it easier to find posts related to this change, I created a tag, “Therapy of the wilderness.” At the bottom of many posts, there are tags. If you click a tag, it will show you other posts with the same tag.
I am reluctantly using Facebook again. Despite my many reasons for disliking the website, it is the most common way of staying in contact with other travelers, so I would be foolish to not use it for some things. Even though I had previously emptied my “friends” list on Facebook, I am accepting “friend” requests again.
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of the help I have received. In early January, there was a day on which I had two days left in my hostel and US$6 left. I was distraught. Since then, however, many people, including many new people have supported me in multiple ways. Financial support feeds and shelters me, of course. Just as important, however, is the help I have received when researching what country to go to, how to get there, how to live in a tent, and more. Thank you for the support, especially the increased support during the last six weeks. It positive actions of other people have often helped me get through difficult days.
