A Northern Summer

One year ago, the mountains of East Tennessee loomed in the distance as I made the 630 mile journey to my summer home of Oak Ridge, TN. Those nine weeks would teach me more about life than the previous 21 years combined. It was a summer that tested the waters in order to see whether I would sink or swim in a world filled with unfamiliarity. In a previous blog post, found here, I had mentioned how that upcoming summer was meant to search the soul more so than anything else. A piece of me, no matter how small, must have known that big changes were on the horizon. And oh boy, were those changes gigantic.

I left the north unsure of exactly where I wanted life to take me. The future was bright, but was it right? For my entire life, I had failed to break loose of familiarity, always having that comforting hand nearby when times got lonely or tough. That luxury was suddenly hundreds of miles away, and I was on my own. But in those nine weeks, after living alone, travelling to Mississippi for work, and meeting new friends, I discovered that my security blanket was simply a vestigial part of my old life. The fear of being alone and having nobody suddenly dissipated, and I felt like I could accomplish any goal set before me, with no blanket at all. Unfortunately, the security blanket that was tossed away had human emotions.

This is not the place to discuss past relationships, but to those youngsters reading this out there, be weary of high school “love”. At that age, you are driven by a desire to not be alone, and when you find that person who shows interest, “love” seems to blossom. Eventually, the years drift by and it becomes harder and harder to find. You fool yourself into believing that it is there, as the security blanket slowly weighs you down. The biggest decision of my life thus far was to throw that blanket away. It was easily the best decision of my life, human emotions be damned. Does that make me a terrible person? Nope, it makes me human. Had I never tossed that blanket away, I would have never experienced true love: A feeling that can unite two individuals no matter the distance or time that separates them.

That southern summer was one that I will never forget, and its memories will always be with me. For it was the summer of transformation, both personally and professionally. The road ahead was suddenly clear, and my soul was at rest.

This brings us to the current summer of 2010, where familiarity of place takes hold once more. State College, Pennsylvania : my home for the last four years. With my soul satisfied, heart softened, and future feeling right, it is time to buckle down and learn. Learn all there is to learn about the natural world, and lay the foundations of knowledge that will be necessary to one day change the world. I invite you to join the journey, and learn something along the way.