gratitude

“so, when are you going back to the states?”
well, we have some friends that are engaged, so probably whenever the weddings are.
[laughing] “.. err… so, are you going to be staying there for awhile?”
ah-hah, there it is.

the question i get basically every time i talk to my dad on the phone. not that i want to get into what is happening in the united states at the moment, but i don’t really think i am a victim of the recession. well, in one way i sort of am, as i graduated college at the worst possible time in decades to try to find an entry-level position, even in a big city like seattle.

but. even if there was no recession, i think you’d still find me here. or somewhere. my philosophy has always been “live where you want to be”, in the most extreme sense. like, live where you would work and save up your money to go on a vacation. to live your life like you’re on holiday. that sort of thing. this, along with an undying feeling of wanderlust, itchy feet, and fascination with living in europe (a continent i have been so interested in for so long and for so many reasons) is the reason that i’m here, that i’m still here, and that i have no plans to repatriate in the near future.

often, alex and i talk about our good fortune… how well everything worked out for us even though we expected so much less. in the beginning, we were willing to live in a crappy flat and work long hours for little money (if both of us could even manage to find work), just to make our dream happen.

last tuesday evening, we joined some friends for a short drive (just over an hour) across the border to gmünd (austria) to visit a very popular spa. they had one of those pools where you can swim from the indoor part to the outdoor part, even in the middle of winter (so cool!). that night, it happened to be snowing. and i was just beside myself with gratitude.

it’s a tuesday night, i’m in austria for the evening, swimming in a pool while snow is lightly falling. how did i ever get so lucky? it’s really everything i ever wanted. that little moment meant so much. kind of like the time i ate at the nice mexican restaurant in prague i had long coveted because finally, finally i could afford to do it. that sort of feeling.

so nope, i think i’m going to be here for a little while yet. because lifeisgood. so why not? (photo via)