I decided to finally take a day off from hiking. During my thru-hike, I've only taken 3 true "zero days" without any hiking. Today is day #4. Since I am nearing the end of my hike, I decided to look into some real world issues I am going to have to deal with soon. The result was not pleasant.
I have no idea if I currently have health insurance, my bank account balance is slowly dwindling, my resume needs a major overhaul, and I definitely need to start looking for potential employment opportunities. I thought about updating my resume and writing a generic cover letter today, but all my prior job experiences seem so trivial and insignificant compared to what I am accomplishing out here on the trail. The idea of going into job interviews and pretending that any of my prior employments were stupendously incredible portrayals of my skills, just seems like such a joke. Of all my prior experiences, the only one that I am remotely proud of is organizing fundraisers for Friends for Animals. That actually required me to independently acquire and utilize a novel skill set. Being a good teacher was easy. Being a good student was even easier. Nothing about "working" was ever difficult. Not to sound too pompous, but when I decide to do something, I always do it well, so of course I was good at everything I set my mind to. (This is actually due to a personality disorder I've been diagnosed with. If you're curious here is more info about it:
https://iocdf.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/OCPD-Fact-Sheet.pdf)
Anyway after a few hours of dwelling on the fact that the real world is looming in my near future, I've decided now is not the time to worry about it. Resume writing can get taken care of some other time. Whenever I think too much about what lies ahead, I like to make myself feel better by looking at all the pretty things that are around me right now, so here are a few pictures of how much better life is in the woods:
 |
| Fall is turning the forests into a beautiful kaleidoscope of colors. |
 |
| When in doubt, the AT always goes up the steepest rock in view. |
 |
| But after you climb the steepest rock, you get to look back and see this. |
 |
| At the end of a long day, it is nice to get home. |
 |
| Beautiful views with my beautiful Roxy. The real world can wait. |
The "real world" definitely can wait! Enjoy your experience to the fullest! Afterwords, write about it and share all of the photos of all of the unforgettable places that you've been for the past four months! Your journey is an incredible, challenging, and beautiful accomplishment :)
ReplyDeleteGreat job! Pkg dropped off today for you two at the Hiker Hut. They're open 'til the end of the month, then will put up a sign saying where packages can be picked up. Safe and happy trails!
ReplyDeleteGreat job! Pkg dropped off today for you two at the Hiker Hut. They're open 'til the end of the month, then will put up a sign saying where packages can be picked up. Safe and happy trails!
ReplyDelete