greetings, friends!
so friday was my very last day at work. everyone was out of the office except for one of my bosses, P, and me. P, who is 32 and new to the office, has served as a boss and mentor. he really looked out for me this summer. on friday, i finished up a project, we went to a meeting (where we played libertarian bingo with this hilarious scorecard), and took a long lunch. we talked about everything: what i loved about the summer, what i learned about the law/public policy/public interest law/libertarianism, and–scarily–what i learned about myself. i had been expecting i would cry, which is very atypical for me (i hadn’t cried since may 2008 = 27 months ago). welp, i didn’t just cry, i bawled. absolutely wept when we talked about what i had learned. even P got a little choked up (i might have even seen an errant tear). made my life. but now i have to give up my tin man status, i suppose.
saturday, i drove to the grand canyon and stayed through sunday morning. holy.freaking.cow. words won’t do it justice, so here are some pictures. again, holy.freaking.cow.
and then sunday i drove the 700 miles back home with a huge sunroof, a bright sun the whole way, and springsteen as my soundtrack. it was such a great experience. something i discovered: navajo lands don’t have a speed limit, ute lands are capped at 55. if ever there is a tribal war, you know who i’ll support.
somewhere in utah i had an epiphany. i’ve had a lot on my mind this summer about where i belong and what i want out of life. and i think i’ve finally figured it out. as much as i love the east coast, it’s time for me to head where i belong: out west. this is where my heart belongs, this is where i’m happiest, and this is where i’m home. people have a different view on life out here, and i truly belong. so i’m tweaking my post-grad job search and i’m really flippin’ excited.
do y’all have good memories of a road trip? any epiphanies?
firecracker's follies 
You used the word “belong” 4 times when talking about your epiphany. It sounds like you found it.
The summer I got back from my semester abroad (right before law school) I drove cross-country by myself, east to west. There was a point somewhere in Montana, I believe, where it hit me that I was “west” and it was probably the happiest I had felt in a long time 🙂 I loved living in the midwest/on the east coast when I was there, but I am, to the core of me, a west coast girl. I think it was only 2 weeks after I moved back for law school that I knew I was never going to leave again. (well, hopefully not)
charlie: yup.
amanda: it’s hard to describe the feeling to people who aren’t familiar with it. but what a feeling, eh?
ummmm. we’re going to need to become friends with someone who works for an airline so we can get free flights to each other……..west=sad megan. but soooooo exciting!!!
those pictures are gorgeous. (and the comic board hilarious!)
behrlie: yes. soon i’ll get enough miles on united to get free tickets. then we can play lots once we move to the far corners of the earth.
very married: thanks! it’s so gorgeous, i don’t think anyone could take a bad picture. but i loved it. and isn’t that comic pure hilarity? i’m obsessed.
Um, those pictures are amazing and only reaffirm I need to visit the west ASAP. I saw it overhead when flying to vegas and couldn’t stop being amazed.
Also, I did take a road trip to Key West once with my best friend. While I had several epiphanies about adulthood, I also realized that my dream is to live in the deep south, preferably in a bayou region on an old plantation. City girl,I am not.
FT: i highly suggest you go! absolutely spectacular. and if you move to the deep south, will you get a pet alligator? they look fun.
Wow, those pics are gorgeous. I absolutely LOVE the Grand Canyon. So glad you had a great road trip!
LSN: thank you! did my soul good.