My cat bit me in the face yesterday. Maybe he doesn't think there's enough space in my parent's house for the both of us. Since I know that it's not permanent, I, on the other hand, have been quite comfortable here. That is not what I expected. I never thought I would move back in with my parents. To me, that would be a step backwards; a step towards what I used to be, and not what I want to be. But now, I'm sitting here in the t-shirt from my first job and my high school shorts, typing away in my cute little bedroom. I look like the past, but I don't feel that way. To me, I'm getting opportunities that I had not thought of during graduation time. I'm getting the chance to know my parents better. I'm learning patience and the ability to not only appreciate situations that seem shitty from the get-go, but to truly love them for what they are. My life is beautiful right now (as it always has been) and no level of independence, no matter how great, could make me feel more like that.

When I had graduated college three months ago, I had a colorful and solid plan for my life: Move out west to San Diego and then go with the flow. Then something occurred to me: I don't want to be a useless piece of shit forever. . .just for the summer. Maybe I should care about my job. Maybe I should pick a job that is not useless. Perhaps one that helps people that aren't useless pieces of shit. Well, it turns out that the place to find jobs like that is right where my ass is planted right now: Maryland/D.C. area. So now my plans have changed. I realized one more thing: Being in an office is hell to me. That's what pushed me to do the thing that is the most important on my list: Apply for the Peace Corps.

I'm skipping details here. Many important details. This is why I can't keep journals. I'm too lazy to talk in detail about my day-to-day. I like talking more about what I feel like rather than what I did. Anyway, I'll get to the point about what it's felt like ever since I applied to the Peace Corps; comfort, relief. Suddenly the painstaking task of applying for jobs/internships feels weightless because I know it's only temporary; I can do those jobs well and love them because I may be getting to do what I really want to do soon enough. I'm not much of a planner, but the Peace Corps seems like a way out of getting stuck. As I said, my life is beautiful as it is right now, but it's not what I want forever. I hate thinking too much about the future. It makes you forget to appreciate the present. The thing is, if time keeps moving at the pace that it has recently, the present will come and go in a heartbeat. That right there is the reason all of us have to care about where we're heading.

- The Brown One