Well, here it is: Saturday. And we're hitting the road on Monday. The house is pretty well packed; the food in the fridge is almost all eaten; and we've said our goodbyes. On one hand, I want to say how strange it feels - how easily and quickly your life can be reduced to a pile of cardboard boxes. But, in reality, we've been living out of boxes and sleeping on the floor for so long now that it really doesn't feel strange anymore. Maybe that's part of the process, the packing getting you mentally prepared for the fact that you're leaving behind a life you love, a home that feels so much like ... well, home ... and a group of friends that you adore. Sort of like how they (partially) jokingly say that the teenage years mentally prepare you for your kids to leave home. I feel like a transient in my own space.
On the plus side, we've got a bright shiny dream of the Pacific Northwest to look forward to. I'm sure that in future years my memory will gloss over the fact that the entire state of Oregon is on fire. It's only the fact that California is so much worse that allows me to feel a little like a refugee. Besides, it's probably safe to say that when we finally get to Portland in the late winter, there will be a lot more rain than smoke in the sky. Fingers crossed.
Which brings me to the real point here: the great adventure is about to begin! On Monday we get in the car, drive north, and start the kind of amazing journey that many people dream about, and which is made all the more exciting by the fact that it ends not in coming back to our old life, but starting a new one. A new life that is going to have many more trees and mountains (and rain) than our current one. Sadly, we'll be giving up the smog, over-crowding, and rush-hour traffic on the 405 that make life in Los Angeles so charming, but, as they say, to make an omelette ...
Okay, back to packing. There's still a lot to do.
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