trav·​el

Because I want to have done it. Is that reason enough? Are there better reasons? As I'm conveyed farther from the structured rhythms of academia, I realize that every post-grad decision is less a matter of "the most prudent thing" or even "the next right thing" and more so "the thing you choose to do next."

You may say, "But that doesn't mean anything at all, Ryan." To which I'd reply, "No I know, I like, totally know."

It's useless (though liberating and stemming from a sometimes-nauseating mass of privilege) to be given access to the whole world on a rainbow platter. I rue my lack of strategic thinking skills - how do I think in terms of 3-, 5-, or 10-year plans? Not my coup de maître. For now I'm planning to travel to Europe for a few months. Because I love language and want to learn another. Because I want to live for a while in a house with fewer things. Because I love the practice of establishing a café go-to and seeing the view for the first time. Because life is unspeakably short and fragile and because I wonder if the only thing worse than being handed massive privilege is not using it. Because I want to have done it.