I Blinked, But I Didn't Miss It!

I sat down with a cup of coffee on the second morning of this month to tidy up my expenses from my stateside visit.  The trip was quickly coming to an end, and the following day I would return to Germany.  I had managed to stay within budget, and that pleased me, although it was not a huge surprise.  The exercise went quickly, so I took advantage of the fact that no one else was awake (only pausing briefly to wonder why the hell I was up so early on my last day of vacation) and decided to scratch out a list of a few goals that I would like to achieve during 2016.  I prefer not to call these things Vorsätze, or resolutions, though I suppose one could make the argument that that's pretty much what they are. 

Interestingly enough, at the top of my list was "post more entries in your blog."

Now, it is not as if I sat down two years ago and made it a point NOT to make any postings, it just sort of happened that way.  Certainly a few people did inquire, and while I always appreciated the thoughts (most inquiries were positive, as in "I miss reading your posts," as opposed to, "Hi, when will you post more dumb crap?") I knew that I would have to reach that point when I really felt like writing again.  Truthfully, I have missed it myself, but it wasn't until I had a late night conversation outside the pub with a buddy of mine that I realized that time was right to write another post.

It is certainly easy to get caught up in things, or to get out of routine.  Sometimes distractions are pleasant, and other times they downright suck.  Sometimes excuses are valid, and other times, they are so worthless that you deserve all the flak that you get.

Since I am not making excuses, there will thankfully be no flak. 

That night outside the pub, my friend and I talked about a variety of things, including our time in Germany over the past years.  He made a point about me that I needed to be reminded of; he reminded me of who I am, and that my story is worth sharing.

I was caught off guard with his remark, but I took the compliment as he intended it to be. 

A few weeks later, I headed back to Texas to celebrate Christmas holidays with the family.  With regret, I did not see all the friends I wanted to see, but on the positive side, I did get some much needed quality time with family and a few friends.  As good a trip as it was for me, it went by so quickly, and again I am amazed at how fast time seems to pass.  Just when I was getting over my jet lag, it seemed like we were taking down the tree and the lights from the front of the house, and I was packing my bags to return home.

Fortunately, I kept my eyes open (save for the first few evenings when I fell asleep on the couch right after dinner) and cherished the time, as brief as it was. Happy thoughts helped send me back to Europe for the next part of my adventure (otherwise known as my life) with a bit more perspective, not least of all that it is an adventure worth sharing.   Sure, time goes quickly, but all the more reason to enjoy it for what it is.

see you out there
bryan


In no certain order, the following establishments deserve my particular thanks.

Londoner Pub - (nice one Arsenal)
Venturity (thanks for keeping me accountable)
Sprouts grocery store (where they don't get upset if you accidentally grind 2lbs of decaffeinated coffee before you realize you messed up)
Northpark Center (plenty of parking, as long as it is not Christmastime)
Old Monk
Idle Rich Pub
Joe T Garcia's
Fuzzy's Tacos
and
Goliad