Man up...

Ahh, spring break. How I love thee. Even though I have no license and thus cannot go anywhere and I have to work so I couldn't go anywhere anyway. A break is always nice. There's just something about the changing of the clocks that always forces me to realize that the seasons are changing. Annnnnd we've had some wonderfully warm weather the past few days. Nice.

Despite the much-welcomed arrival of spring, I've still got movin' on my mind. As many memories as this place holds and as great as it is to be near family, there's just nothing here for me. I am glad for the things that this place has taught me and the life that I've had here----but there comes a time when you've just got to do what's right for yourself. That time is as soon as I get my license back.

And now the deicision process starts. Again.

Where to?

There are several viable and enticing options. Since I don't really have any sort of plan for where my life is going, it is difficult to say which place would be the best for me. It is hard to find something when you don't know what you're looking for. I will not make the mistake of believing that whatever I decide is permanent. I have been down that road and learned a lesson. My only plans need to be for the immediate future and what is best for, say, maybe a year at a time. That definitely helps. I can't help but worry----I guess that makes me a worrier. But if I maintain focus on short amounts of time, I am less likely to freak out, spin my wheels and dig a deeper hole where I am. That has happened one too many times.

What it really comes down to is people. Because, really, don't the people make the place? They do. (Warm weather sure doesn't hurt either.)

That is not to say that there aren't great people here. There are great people everywhere. Then why isn't everywhere a great place? I guess it takes more than people. What else?

Opportunity.

Because isn't that really the American dream? I know that there's the suburbanite version of the American dream which often gets confused with what I feel is at the heart of the true American spirit of endeavor. Some people, surely, want a car and house and wife and 2.5 children with a job that pays well and a driveway where they can wash their car. That's fine. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it. I could be happy with that. It might even be what I want. I don't know. But that's not the American dream. The American dream is something very individual. It's the opportunity to be who you want to be and go where you want to go and do what you want to do.

People make excuses for why they can't do these things. Hell, I've made plenty of excuses for why I can't. But the fact is, you can. Any cage or chain you feel keeping you in or holding you down is of your own construction. And that's not to say that there aren't actual factors outside of yourself that can hinder your journey and make it difficult for you to achieve what you want. But how many stories are there of someone who comes from the bottom and rises up? That's the American dream. The underdog story. Because it signifies what America itself represents----that opportunity. It's not a level playing field. Obviously people start out at different places with different advantages and different advantages that can make the journey either more or less difficult. But the bottom line is, with motivation and determination, people can do things regardless of their starting position.

Maybe it takes a little luck. You've got to get a break. But it happens. Maybe not for everyone, but for some. And everyone should have the hope that it can happen for them. And that, to me, is the real American Dream.

I've got some doing to do. Because thinking is over-rated.