I’ve had my fair share of moves, trips, and vacations during my life.  In remembering them, I tend to divide them into two categories: FOR LOVE and FOR MYSELF (or, more appropriately, FOR LOVE OF MYSELF).

The FOR LOVE trips are further categorized into THE GOOD ONES and THE BAD ONES.  The good ones are dreamy, romantic, exciting parts of my life; the bad ones were those that I did because of obligation/dependency/wanting to resuscitate love/sinking ship sort of situations. 

And even though sometimes the “bad ones” weren’t so bad at the time, hindsight has given me plenty to think about.

On the flip-side are the moves or trips that I take FOR MYSELF.  These are often uncomfortable changes that I make in my life.  My moves to West Lafayette & Bloomington are two prime examples: choosing a location for the betterment of my own personal education.  The relocations involved growing pains, hard lessons, and time to adjust to myself and others.  And while I found love in those places, it wasn’t the purpose of my move.

And thus the move to San Antonio this summer fell under this particular category: a portion of time dedicated to my personal and professional growth, complete with contradictions and mind-changing and general grumpiness.

But while the FOR MYSELF trips start off as uncomfortable situations, they usually blossom into something… more substantial.  Roadtripping by myself to hill country and the San Antonio River Valley; hanging out on the lake in Austin; late night dancing & glancing at Midnight Rodeo; martinis at SoHo and beers at Esquire and really, really good food at Green and SA Monterey… Not to mention all the fun times I had at Artpace this summer.

With good experiences, there tend to be the tugging of the heart strings when they are over.  Especially during the FOR MYSELF trips, because I’ve carved out a small piece of my heart for San Antonio. 

And so, I spend my last few days enjoying the little pockets of the city that I made my own.