T-Minus 10 Days

I. Am. Petrified.

The first time I took off and moved across the country I didn't have a "real job", so there were no health benefits to give up, no dependable paycheck, no sense of security per se. This time around I'm realizing just how scary it is to find yourself without all of those things. It's a freeing feeling knowing that you don't have to answer to anyone, but it's terrifying knowing that YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN. FOR BETTER OR WORSE. I guess I've been spoiled over the past year and this is my way of cutting the company apron strings.

I think going out on the road, camping and living within small means, is a great way to do that. I always find myself wanting to do it when I feel myself getting too comfortable or too vain or too caught up in the minutae of things. When I start to obsess about finding exactly the right shade of eye shadow, it's time to camp. When I get annoyed because there's no more free espresso at work, it's time to camp. When I throw a fit because my roots are showing, it is definitely time to camp. No makeup, no hair dryer, no stilettos (although I admit, I always bring 3 pairs of heels - one black, one red, and one pink - because a girl never knows when she may be invited out... I am such a girl it's disgusting), no bullshit. I like it like that. And when I come back I'm always more down-to-earth than when I started.