It’s getting to be crunch time. It’s less than two weeks now until my girlfriend, my dog, and myself uproot our lives and leave everything we know, all the friends and connections we’ve made, our families, and anything familiar, to start a new adventure in that tiny little blip on the map: Connecticut. It’s starting to make us a little crazy. All the little worries we’ve had tucked inside are starting to pop out left and right. Will we have enough money to survive until our first paychecks come from our new jobs? Will my motorcycle sell soon so we can afford the moving van? Will we get a credit card in time? Have we gotten rid of enough stuff? When will we see our friends and family again? How are we going to pay rent and eat if we don’t get paid until September? Etc, etc, etc.

It’s starting to take it’s toll on my psyche. I have been trying as hard as possible to cram as much friends and family time in as I can before we leave. This of course means I’ve been dropping the ball pretty hardcore on my training. I’m still getting into the gym three times a week and lifting hard (and putting up good numbers), but I’ve been drinking way too much beer and whiskey, smoking way too much hookah, and sleeping way too little. I am worn out. Work is a blur. I came in this morning after only being awake for about 20 minutes. I cooked my breakfast at work, while waiting for my tea water to heat up. Yea I drink tea. So what? I made a homemade egg mcmuffin with two eggs, a piece of cheese, a few strips of bacon, and an English muffin. It was delicious, but I was a zombie the entire time I was cooking and consuming it. My diet has been really bipolar lately too. Some days I eat great, others it’s Ramen and eggs. We have to pinch our pennies right now and my AmeriCorps job certainly isn’t bringing home the big cash monies. But we are still trying to enjoy our limited time left in Minnesota.

Yesterday, we started hanging out with friends right after work and continued until after 11. It was a blast. We had a fire in the yard, grilled up some small steaks, drank beer, and bullshitted for hours. I’m going to miss all of these people.

The night before I was out on a motorcycle ride with a friend. Then we ate burgers, drank beer, and smoked hookah. Are you noticing a pattern here? I’ve decided that I’m just going to have to sacrifice a little of my sanity (and physical health) these last few weeks to spend time with those who are so good to me. As my girlfriend said a few nights ago, “We’re just working on having a good ‘before’ picture for when we get out East”. I love her.

Time is becoming more and more precious. And as it becomes more important to me, it flies by much faster. I’m stuck at work from 8-4:30 M-F, attempting to finish out my AmeriCorps term with some solid numbers. It’s disheartening to think about what will likely happen to the program when I leave. But regardless, the work must be done. I cherish the hour-long lunch breaks I get with my lady. She has been working more lately to fill the gap in my income-generating ability, and works opposite hours as me. That has been a little straining and I hate that she has to work so much. I just keep reminding myself what this is all for though.

We are going through all of this right now so that we can have a fresh start. We are doing this to create doors of opportunity. We are doing this because mediocrity is not OK with us. We wanted an adventure and an adventure is exactly what we’re getting. Our story isn’t going to be all sunshine and rainbows. There will be roadblocks, and sharp turns along the way. I refuse to let those bring me down. Because I know that in 5 years, those are going to give me the best stories to tell, about how we overcame the odds and how it lead to our success and happiness.

We are choosing to write our own story, instead of letting others dictate our lives. And even though it’s stressful as all hell right now, I know that it’s the right thing to do and that it’s going to bring us both to a better place. So watch out Connecticut, you’re about to gain two more poor, starving , dreamers who refuse to accept anything but success. Poundstone Performance Training Center, here we come!

But first, I’m going to enjoy what’s left of my Minnesota summer. And finish packing!

-Tarzan out.