aside from developing webbed feet, the transition into a seattleite has been awesome and it definitely feels like the beginning of a new chapter in my life. it’s hard to believe i’ve been living here for a year already, and it feels good to remain stationary for a little while. don’t get me wrong though, i do miss nyc. but the longer i live here, get to know the area and develop my circles of friends the less i think about nyc. just this entire area of the pacific northwest is amazing… so close to the mountains, the water, the coast, forests, and more while still living in downtown seattle is something you can’t get everywhere. being absorbed into the life of the pacific northwest, though, does have its consequences. i find myself developing a more ‘mountain-man’ mentality and becoming much more free-spirited… altering my own personal priorities and values in life. part of that could also be my part-time job at rei and the interactions i have there. things that i used to feel were important to me, things that were more materialistic and superficial, are not critical any longer. i do feel a strong career is important which is something i’m still working towards, but my own perception of what constitutes a successful career has changed as well. it’s no longer about making a lot of money or meaningless and superficial job titles. rather it’s more about reaching my own life goals, being happy, having a balance between work and life and simply working for the overall benefit of society.
with the recommendation of myra, i am currently reading into the wild by jon krakauer and am able to see a lot of similar qualities between myself and the main character chris. does this mean i will drop everything and venture out into the wilderness of alaska and live off the land for an extended period of time…living a life away from civilization and modern manifestations that we all take for granted? probably not, at least not in the foreseeable future. i’m definitely going through a strange period of mental growth in my life right now where i am beginning to define who i am and where i stand which will eventually take me into my next chapter.
“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.”
 Chris McCandless“Rather than Love, than Money, than Fame, give me Truth.”
 Henry David Thoreau