The Road Ahead

There is a tide in the affairs of my life, ladies and gentlemen! And I'm taking it at the flood in hopes for good fortune. In short, this girl was offered a position with a PR agency in Orlando and I'm on the move.

In the next few weeks, I have a good bit of traveling, packing and moving to get done. To start things off, I have to fly to New Jersey to collect my clothes. (Quick back story on that one. When I flew home from NJ, I didn't check any bags and limited myself to a carry on. I left all of my winter clothes, jeans, a few blouses, shoes, etc.)

After a trip to New Jersey, I'll drive up to Orlando to apartment hunt. I have a few friends in Orlando that have been kind enough to let me bother them with a million and one questions. And can I just say, why is finding an apartment so difficult?! While I lived in an apartment in college, I didn't do much apartment hunting. My friends/roommates, Kallie & Carling hunted and landed our apartment while Colleen and I were in London. (Thank God for those two!) But now that I'm doing this on my own...it's not only not as much fun, it's a bit stressful. Finding, visiting and setting the budget is also overwhelming for this girl who is awful with numbers. (During a few occasions, I have been known to cry while trying to figure out my math homework.)

I'll take all of the nerves though. I mean, this is what I wanted, right? This is the Kefi Spirit I've been channeling since we rang in the new year. This is change and this is good. Scary, but good. But knowing me, I'll be scared (or maybe I should say nervous...yes, I'll be more nervous) about all of it until just before it happens. Then, for ten seconds that come out of no where, I'll be courageous. I'll think I'm bigger than I am and BAM! It'll all be second nature.

Sincerely,

Cybill

Ambition & Acceptance: Pacific Crest Trail

I don't know what brought on the desire to strap on a backpack a fraction of my weight and hike, but this weekend I found myself researching the Pacific Crest Trail. Actually, scratch that. I know exactly what brought on the desire. My omnipresent wanderlust spirit and my current read, Wild by Cheryl Strayed.

Now, I understand you may toss this as just another "Silly Cybill Notion," (I should really coin that term), and it may be just that, regardless, isn't it a great one? There's so much adventure in the idea of hiking the more than 2,000 miles from the Mexican border to the Canadian border. (Okay, there is also a little crazy in it, but there's always a level of crazy in any adventure.)

I should probably confess that I have no desire to hike the entire PCT. I'm ambitious, yes, but I also accept my limitations. (My balance of ambition and acceptance is a bit skewed, but it's there.) With my limitations and physical capabilities well in mind, I've narrowed my research to a small portion of the trail located in Oregon. Oregon is the location of choice for a number of reasons. My cousin Kate and her fiancé Paul live in Portland. I have plans to attend their wedding in June and the fact that Kate was a nurse in the Army and Paul's a firefighter help too. (See, I told you I have a balance between ambition and acceptance.) Now comes the stage of planning that take time, finances and all that adult responsibility stuff into account. Not exactly ready for all of that, just yet.

Clearly my plans to take on the PCT are in the early stages. It's in the fetal stage at best, but they're there. They've found their way into my mind and will lay dormant but will not die. It was the same with my plans to study abroad in London. It took a couple of years, but they were realized. Perhaps my plans for PCT will take a couple of years as well, but remember my balance of ambition and acceptance? Well, let's just say my scale leans heavily on ambition.

Sincerely,

Cybill

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