T-Minus 15 Days

I'm basically down to the 2-week mark, and I'm freaking out a little bit about traveling. I still haven't determined how I'm getting from London to Florence, but I'm sure I'll make it. Another student wants to tag along, so I feel like a third person will be really fun and better to travel with, but we shall see. I'm stopping by my campus to make some copies of my passport, and I have a pocket-sized defense mechanism I'm borrowing from a friend so I won't deal with any funny business while I'm overseas. I'm going to miss my pals here, but I can't wait for some new adventures!

My sister, a good friend, and I went to a little country shop today in a sweet new Ford pickup. I'm not a country girl, but I could mix it up every once in awhile. It's funny how I used to swear off country music, camo, and anything with a twang. Now, I want to go shooting, buy a knife, and I even appreciate country music when it's on in the car. There's a season for everything, and I obviously needed to open my mind to all of the different lifestyles out there. It's far more fulfilling to see the beauty in unfamiliar things than to criticize them without dipping a foot into the water. 

This is why I want to travel the world. There is so much to learn from everybody else. Ideally, I want to find a career that allows me to do this, but I have no idea what would cater to my desires and utilize all of my intelligence. I hope I figure it out soon because it's stressing me out, and I don't want to be in undergraduate school longer than I have to. Eh, first world problems. I'm just waiting for it to slap me upside the head so I can lay out a career. I'm glad I have the decision to do whatever I want, but I hate actually sticking to one. I just don't want to hate my job when I'm older. I have a general plan but no details - like piecing together the border of a puzzle, but the inside pieces are still strewn about the table. I'll get there, though. That's what they say, anyway. 

I have one more complaint about life, and then I'll hush up for the night. I have had killer back pain. Seriously, I have the spine of a ninety-year-old, not a nineteen-year-old. Herniated discs are no joke. There is no cure unless I get surgery, and, being a first-class passenger on the Strugglebus, I have the rarest kind of herniation so the pain will never go away. Even if surgery was performed, there is a 25% chance that it will re-herniate, and I'll be back at square one. Worth it? Nah, not yet anyway. The surgeon said most patients' pain subsides after about six months, but I was an exception once again. Maybe I'll get surgery next year; knowing my procrastination, it'll be another ten years.

On the bright side, I'm still fully functioning and had a wonderful day today. It's time for some Mexican food - fresh out of the kitchen - and a good workout (last day of my squat challenge!). If you're on the Strugglebus daily like me, just remember: there's a Strugglebus even shoddier than yours.