WASHINGTON 2: Have Mat - Will Travel

'Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.' - Gail Devers

My 27th birthday looms upon the horizon and I ponder . . . well to be transparent, I cry out, 'What the heck am I doing sleeping on the floor of my parent's living room!?' 

I imagine a curmudgeon of an old man sitting in a poorly lit, damp atelier.  As he crouches over a small wooden table, he scratches the unspoken laws of expectation that we, as humans, are subject to embrace.  I am only speculating that he is grumpy based upon the absurd silent rules that we struggle so desperately to follow.  According to these laws, at my age, I'm suppose to be happily married to an adoring husband, with 1.5 kids, a white picket fence, and of course the dream home.  The American dream = over our head in debt, chasing around screaming children while scrubbing the floors of the home we're upside down in.  No thank you! Instead I am single, broke and 'homeless'.  My only possessions boxed in someone else's garage. When put that way, my life doesn't sound so great either, but read on . . .

I don't usually look forward to my birthday because to me it is not a cause for celebration, but merely a reminder of all of the things I have failed to accomplish.  The American dream has never been for me, but I still had my dreams.  I was the one who was to be successful by now.  A college graduate, well traveled, and a working professional among other titles.  Instead of feeling sorry for myself this year I have decided to embrace my freedoms.  Many have asked, "Why have you started this blog?" and the answer is simple.  I want to use it as an outlet in which to document my adventures, and I want to keep my friends and family close while I travel.  I will probably never be more free of responsibility than I am right now.  I embrace my 'short-comings' as an opportunity to fulfill my dreams! My lack of accomplishments are a wide open door pleading to be walked through. I see you open door! I plan on sliding through like a baseball player dives into home base.  "SAFE!" the umpire in the sky will yell, much to the dismay of the curmudgeon I'm sure, but to the cheer of the crowd sitting at home.  I'll have a smirk on my face, and a feeling of satisfaction radiating through out, as I alone know how close I came to being called 'OUT'.

I received a pillow-pet panda bear, Kuvi (kuvianartok = makes one happy in Inuit) as an early birthday present.  I love it! Its head and tail wiggle with delight when you shake it slightly.  Why do I tell you this? Because, at 27 I sleep on my parents' floor on a mat, with one arm around my Kuvi, and a smile on my face.  Am I embarrassed? No, because I also stand in my little brother's room with my yoga mat slung over my shoulder, and my pillow-pet under my arm as I declare to him and the world, "Have mat - Will travel!'