Good Riddance

Spring has come, and while for most people this might mean spring-cleaning, for college and university students it means moving. 

At the end of the spring semester we all pack up our belongings and move out of our dorms, either back home or to an apartment or to go travel the world. This process goes hand in hand with something that I have become quite fond of and think everyone should do at least once a year.

A purging.  (or cleansing if you prefer.)

At the end of every school year I riffle through all my cupboards and drawers and find mass amounts of papers, party favors, mementos, etc. that have somehow accumulated within the span of eight months. While some of these things are worth keeping for memory-sake, most end up going to recycling, good will, or the trash.  The thought that I somehow gathered all of this stuff within just a few short months is mind-boggling and I’m so happy that I have a chance at least once a year to get rid of it all.

I don’t know if this is just me, but sometimes I hate having any stuff at all. It’s just a bother. And most of the time it just sits there taking up space. I feel like it ties me down somehow, but that’s a story for a different time.

When I first came to North America I couldn’t believe that people not only had big houses full of stuff, but that they have extra storage containers full of MORE stuff! Why?! If you do not need it often enough to have it on hand, you don’t need it!

Maybe that is my father speaking through me, he used to have me and my sisters go through all our things every so often and get rid of the things we didn’t need. It stuck, and I’m glad.

I love my annual purge and will probably continue to do it even when I do not have to move in or out of some place annually. Just try it, you’ll feel so much better  :)

...to taste it again.

I have steered a tall-ship out at sea.

I have felt the warmth of an udder as I milked a cow.

I have spent the night in a yurt.

I have tasted prawns fresh from the ocean floor.

I have stood on mountaintops.

I have fallen asleep watching the stars.

I have felt the saltiness of the Ocean on my skin.

I have pitched tents.

I have climbed many a tree.

I have smelled the wild flowers of the fields.

I have watched bears mosey on by.

I have shot an arrow from a bow.

I have paddled across the waters.

I have heard the rumble of thunder overhead. 

I have smelled the smoke of campfires.

I have drunk from the streams.

I have caught snowflakes on my tongue.

I have ridden a horse bareback.

I have heard the call of the eagle and loon.

I have danced in the rain.

I have burrowed under the snow.

I have felt the tightness of a cave.

I have tasted the meat of moose and deer.

I have cycled through hills and valleys.

I have tasted adventure. 

I have tasted what it is to be alive. 

I want to taste it again. 

Sweet Goodbyes

Airports tend to get a bad reputation. Not surprisingly so. They are a hassle: security checks, finding the right terminal and gate, lots of waiting around, busy crowds, the list goes on and on. But there is something that happens in airports that you don’t see quite as much in other places. Airports tend to prompt people to show how they really feel about each other. As people head off into the unknown of new adventures they finally show how much they care in that final embrace or last conversation.

In my experience, airports have been places where I do some of my biggest thinking about who is important to me in my life. Possibly because KLM always decides to play the saddest songs on their audio-system that make me think of what I’m leaving behind, as well as what I’m going to. What if I never make it back, have I said everything that needs to be said? Have I told the people I love how I feel? Isn’t it interesting that people tend to only show how much they care when they realize that this might be their last chance?

The next couple weeks in my life will be interesting. While I’m excited about graduating and going into this next part of my life, I also meet this phase with some sadness because, let’s be honest, these next few weeks are the last that I will spend with some of these friends. In my life I’ve already missed out on telling some people how I felt about them before it was too late. I’ve neglected to recognize how precious the time spent with people you truly care about is. So I encourage you, no matter what stage of life you’re in or where you may be, hold on to these moments spent with those you  love and tell them that you care. 

"This is the time to remember 
Cause it will not last forever.
These are the days to hold onto
Cause we won't although we'll want to."

-Billy Joel