I am because we are.

Right now, things are about the same as they've been for the last year. Work, paint, eat, sleep, clean, etc. But in two weeks, my life is going to be very different than it is today.

The daydreaming that I wrote about in my last post has become mostly a reality. Since August, I've taken a trip to Chicago (two, even!), as well as Arizona, Mexico, Kansas City, and Breckenridge. I've found a camper shell for my truck. And I've gotten the rest pretty much figured out, too.

In May, I am setting out on an adventure. I am going to fly across the country and back, drive 2,500+ miles without cruise control and without company, then fly across/out of the country again. Aside from Denver, stops will include Chicago, Syracuse, Boston, Easton, Ruidoso, Dolores, Kansas City, Lake of the Ozarks, Costa Rica, and maybe more. I am going to watch bad TV at my parents' house, take sculpture lessons from my grandmother, learn how to repair a wood-burning hot tub in the mountains, float on a raft at the lake, and eat mango while I hike through the rainforest (okay, maybe the one is a little idealistic, but the point is I could). And at the end of it all, who knows where I will end up? Maybe I'll never come back from Costa Rica. Maybe I'll move to Sweden. I will have no job, no apartment—really not much else than my truck, some clothes, a few books, and a little money. But what I will still have, and will always have, are the people in my life.

What/where/who would I be without my community? (I mean "community" in a broad sense, because it's one that is spread out across the country.) It is an incredible opportunity to be able to pack up my belongings, put them in a storage unit, and then be welcomed into the homes of so many others without question. This trip would not be an option if it weren't for that blessing (and I do fully realize that being able to choose to be homeless for a few months is, without a doubt, a blessing). I am continually overwhelmed by the love that I receive from my family and friends. I would be nothing/nowhere/no one without them.

It is easy to forget, but important to remember.