The Things We Take for Granted

So, dear readers, as most of you know, I’m due back in the States on September 1. As you also know, I’ve been struggling, hard, with having to juggle my excitement of coming home with a sinking disbelief and sadness that my year in Ireland is really almost over. Today it rained. I mean, really rained. The wind was up, and half the day you couldn’t see out the window. Those sorts of days are alright, but eventually, they can get you down. I got down. I’m sure reading Virginia Woolf didn’t help. Anyway, I was feeling kinda blue. So I started looking at pictures. All kinds of them. And then I thought, ‘Boy, do I take a lot of stuff for granted.’

You see, it hit me as I was looking at these pictures with a jaded eye and being grumpy about things that actually don’t matter, that I am surrounded by some pretty awesome stuff. The Aran Islands, which I will miss tremendously, are a boat ride away. Galway itself is absolutely gorgeous, not to mention the rest of the island that I’ve so carelessly called home over the past year. Sure, I’ve had my moments when I could hardly take in the beauty and the wonder of it, and no, you can’t really go around saying, ‘Wow’ all the time, but honestly, going around grumbling about having to leave and then being bored because your friends are still in the library writing their theses, is just a bit, how do I say this, lame.

And it’s not just Ireland. How many times does someone visit from out of town and I say, “Well, we can go hiking, I guess.” As if the Cascades had somehow gotten uglier from the last time I went up there. There is so much to appreciate and it has nothing to do with rolling fields and fresh air, because no matter where we are, there is always something to be amazed by and thankful for.

Look, I’m not good at sap, but this is really important. I guess what I’m trying to say is, that no matter where I go (and let’s face it, I’m always going to be wanting to go somewhere), I’m probably going to be sad to leave. And I’m always going to be excited to go wherever I’m going. But this intensity of gloominess shouldn’t happen. Why? Because I need to remember more often that I’m just a boat ride away from the Aran Islands or a short drive to the Cascades or even a walk away from something that’s just downright cool. So this is my sap. If I didn’t feel sad about leaving these places, I would be cold-hearted, plain and simple. Wherever you have people you care about, you’re gonna hate to leave. But, wherever you have people you care about, you’re always going to have a place to stay. And that is the most important thing never to take for granted. I think I’m done with the cheesy stuff now, but I’m also done with the grumpy. Next time, I'll write something funny, I promise.