Wanderlust

Runyan Canyon is a park above Sunset at the foot of the hills that separate the Valley from Los Angeles. I go here often to run, hike, do outdoor yoga and the like. My favorite portion of my routine lasts a mere 10 seconds as I run the decline back to my car. The road winds and winds and at the 4th or 5th bend, the city completely disappears behind the mountains. I relish in my fleeting escape; away from the constant gaze of the cityscape, I imagine I'm somewhere else. I like to think I'm running a tiny path that wraps around the Andes Mountains in Peru, or maybe a warm range in the arid mediterranean.

As much as I love my life here, I can't help ward off the familiar pangs of my wanderlust. To pick up and start over. To allow my roots to unfurl into nothing but seedlings of a new adventure. The prospects are quite appealing.

All the places I could see, the people I could say hello to,

the love I could encounter,

the loss I could feel,

the time I could waste,

the things I could neglect and forget.

Even the bad things sound kind of good. There's something comforting in loosing myself and living without ties and responsibility. I think I sometimes have an aversion to responsibility. I also think you could find a few people who might confirm this.

Like anything else, this lifestyle would age quickly and I'd want the comfort and security of a rooted life once again. So, I'll try less dramatic prescriptions and smaller dosages than a move around the world. I think I'll take up Spanish lessons or plan a road trip. Those sound like more responsible choices

Still, getting lost somewhere does sound nice now and again. I doubt that feeling will ever find its way from me.

Untitled

I want to travel the world
Lose myself in a cafe
Buried under a pile of unread novels and stale coffee
I want to leave here and have no schedule
No job, be poor. Struggle.
Learn and live only through demonstration

I want to travel alone
Fend for myself, buy bread for myself, drink wine for myself
I want to lose myself in the countryside
Buried under a pile of blank pages, waiting to be filled
I want to flee here, and free my mind
Give in to endless thought and contemplation

I want to travel with you
Lie by ourselves, drink wine by ourselves
I want to see the world through your eyes
And lose myself in endless conversations
Buried under a pile of scribbled notations
Fill books with new thoughts, our endless imagination

Our world exists, protected under cover
Our knowledge bound to one, freed by another

It's been quite a trip...

Well, two weeks later and I’m back in Los Angeles. Last we left off, I was heading back to Philadelphia for a number of reasons. The holidays, to see family, to see friends, to gather some perspective on my life. As you know, this was my first trip back to my parents’ since graduating and moving to LA seven months ago.

This was probably the least relaxing, most over-stimulating trip I’ve ever been on; and I only say that with love. What I mean is that there was very little down time. I have been running from place to place since I touched down on January 20. Trips like this are all about catching up and seeing every group you’ve ever been associated with. I was fortunate to visit every era of my life. Wow, I just realized that. I spent time with my best group of friends from grade/middle school. I reconnected with my crew-mates from high school and I bussed to New York for New Years to visit with my college life. I also made new friends in NY and partied in Vegas with one amazing stranger on a rather epic layover. All the while seeing a few friends that have been there through all of these periods of my life with me.

Needless to say, this trip has been an education all is own. To that effect, the proceeding entries will examine a few of the subjects that I studied over the past two weeks.