Two Months (and change)

It all depends on how you look at it.

I’m just over two months away from my move to Seattle.  It’s a relatively short period of time, in the context of life, in the context of world events, even in the context of my uncommonly isochronal existence.  Then again, two months can be a very long time.

My first two months here in Nashville were often torturous, with the usual desperate search for work and dwindling savings augmented by an unusually isolated existence (even for me) and a complicated romantic life that involved rekindling a relationship with a girlfriend from many years ago while still reeling from the end of my previous relationship of two years.  As accustomed as I am to change, these were epochal shifts in my personal life.

Two months a la eternity.

For that matter, the last two months of Chicago were themselves an emotional rollercoaster, a swirl of positive and negative feelings that paints the whole period in schizophrenic hues of memory.

Time measured in emotion will always seem infinite.

To Seattle

With just over two months until my seventh relocation in as many years (actually, eighth, but D.C. was a different period in my life), the preparations begin in earnest.  While I search for a roommate, I also have to keep in mind the numerous factors that will contribute to my year in Seattle, and thus the full 10 Cities story.  Every decision I make over the next two months will affect not just the next year, but each of my next moves, as well.  Every move has a ripple effect into the future.

Who I will live with is important.  Where I live is just as important.  Will I end up living next door to my place of employment (as I did in Charlotte) or will I have to bike (like in SoCal) or ride public transportation (Philly, San Fran, Chicago and here)?  What kind of work will be available?  I’m definitely leaning towards sticking with waiting tables, but maybe something else will come up first.  A bookstore again?  Or will this be the year I work in an office?  (Eh, not likely.)

My co-workers have defined this project more than anyone else, so finding work isn’t just about paying my bills, it’s about the guiding experiences and relationships of my travels.

I want to be exposed to people, to the city, to culture and history and things that I love and things that I hate.  I’m seeking exposure to the elements of human endeavors, in all their befuddling anti-glory.

4 Cities / 4 Years

When I moved to Nashville, a big part of the decision was a desire to start over.  Having allowed someone else into the project for two cities and lived in two of America’s most bustling metropolises, I wanted to get back to the core of this project, a solitary journey through the heart of this nation’s varying cities.

With 4 years still ahead of me, I feel re-committed to the ambition of the project.  I’m not sure how it will play out, or how prepared I am for it all.  But I’m committed to it, for better or worse.

Four more years without a permanent home, four more years without a romantic relationship (and I think that is the unavoidable conclusion of the previous three years), four more years of betting on art over commerce.

Four more years.  And two months.