hope
I am now back in DC after spending four days with my family and Julie in Peoria. The message of redemption from slavery and oppression was particularly moving this year. The Seder renewed in us the desire to bring justice and freedom to all peoples. I don't mean the kind of freedom that our soldiers are currently "giving" to the people of Iraq. I do not mean freedom where the only substantive choices we make as individuals are in the marketplace. No, I mean the freedom of autonomy, to critically reflect on our choices, to have the education necessary for such critical reflection, to have options other than suffering and death. Social justice is the message of Passover.
After a great Seder I spent the last four days resting. Now back in DC I am trying to find my footing again. Towards the end of this week there are a number of teach-ins and social action events that I want to attend. It seems as though my ears tune themselves to NPR's frequency and my eyes find the New York Times web site on their own. I am a news junkie. I am a terrified news junky watching a car accident pile up in all directions. Oh for the next President!
Spending the last days on vacation drove home the fact that I have a job and thus something of a life. Four weeks from today Julie and I will be on the road with the rest of our things moving to DC to live, to start our new lives together. I am not frightened of living in DC, as many people seem to be. The scariest thing about being here is the nutball over in the White House! I am not afraid of things I cannot control, terrorism and the like, I am instead both afraid and hopeful about the things I can control: what to do next with my life, what to do at work, what to do at home, how to be part of building a life with another person in a new place, how to go to a doctor and fill out insurance forms, how to make a budget with no backup plan, how to make a backup plan. In short, I am hopeful and frightened about living, really living, as an independent person for the first time in my life.
These last few months have a been a transition period for me and now that is coming to an end. Today Felice told me about a cheap airfare offer she heard about last week but couldn't find anyone to go with. I can honestly say that if something comes up like that in the future I could day off and take a quick trip with a friend somewhere. Once Julie finds a job we will be able to plan vacations. We can visit John and Olaf in Germany or go backpacking. Maybe we could take advantage of the ads I have seen in the paper for travel packages to Iceland.
Writing this is like a meditation for me. I feel cleansed of my worries and hopeful for tomorrow. Now I must head home from the office and clean my apartment. Ah, the mundane.
3 Comments
Leave a comment
Who is this guy?
:)
This just so totally confirms my desire to be Sam Felder that it's not even funny.
I can relate to your nerves about life after college. There is something reassuring to me about knowing that other people, my close friends, are going through sort of parallel experiences in their lives as we all move on from college. Oh, by the way, Sam, if you ever find a cheap fare from DC with a similar one from Seattle, give me a call!