Growing Up

A strange thing has been happening to me lately: I've started thinking like an adult. In the last six months or so, I've slowly been shifting my focus towards more long-term goals, such as establishing a career, staying in one place for more than 8 months, opening an IRA, buying a house, etc. The thought of owning furniture doesn't stress me out anymore. I know that these are things which most people probably come to terms with in their early twenties, but I've made a pretty good go of living the somewhat nomadic lifestyle for a while now. The purpose of the more or less constant movement has been to explore as many places as possible in search of a place to call home. In fact, that was the original thought behind creating and updating this blog, to chronicle the progress made towards achieving that goal. While I have a tough time imagining that I'll ever stop wanting to explore wonderful new places and experiences, I'm feeling pretty confident that Monterey will be a great place to settle for a while. This time, I'll have Jenn to share it with, and that makes all the difference. She's a wonderful, supportive woman who delights in sharing her days with me as much as I do with her. It's been a pleasant challenge making life plans that allow both of us to persue our own individual goals, while still allowing us to grow together as well.
As for individual goals, I'm once again in the familiar position of having to find work in a "new" place. We're moving back up to Monterey this weekend, in search of a place to call home, furniture, and jobs. I feel pretty good about my opportunities, as several of my previous employers have offered me what little work there is to be had in the fall/winter season. I would like to continue teaching scuba and certifying students, but I honestly can't figure out how that's going to happen. Yet. For the time being, I aim to get myself enough work to keep busy and pay rent, while allowing Jenn the freedom to figure out what is available to her. Though she grew up in Carmel (just south of Monterey), she's never worked in the area, except as a teenager. Regardless, I am (as usual) optimistic about the future, and look forward to pursuing it with a big smile on my face.
Life is good.