i've been doing a lot of thinking recently... and when i say a lot, i mean A LOT. in fact, WAY too much to write about right here, right now.

i will say this, however:

one of the big things i've been thinking about and trying to wrap my head around is the concept of "what is the responsible thing to do?". i think for years now, i have been "playing it safe" under the guise of "being responsible". that, in itself, seems to me to be irresponsible. i believe, in many cases, following one's dreams and desires is the more responsible thing to do.

a friend said this to me the other day:

"I am a firm believer in the idea that if you work hard, do things for yourself, follow your dreams (no matter how crazy they may seem to others), and make your priority over all other things feeling content with yourself, that all will fall into place. Sometimes it sucks, and patience is a word to loathe, but at the end of the day life is in your hands and dependent on the decisions and risks you are willing to take. Moral of the story (and I am well aware that this sounds cheesy as hell)... if you want to go to Alaska, go to Alaska. If you want to climb in all 50 states, climb in all 50 states. If you want to finish school, finish school. If you want to switch jobs, switch jobs. Its hard, incredibly hard, to break out of the familiar... but the world is huge and every corner of it is worth exploring because you never know what (a job, a person, a moment, a vista...) you might find."

--ep

does this seem like a re-hash of theme of previous posts, or is it a theme that is emerging...? in any case, i might have to investigate this further and write more about it, because i do not think i am the only one plagued by this type of situation and dilemma.

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*edit*

yeah, i should also mention that i am going to be laying down a big chunk of change this year to get my Wilderness First Responder certification (a step up from Wilderness First Aid) and i also am going to be applying to work as a fisherman in Alaska for NEXT summer and i will be saving up a huge amount of money between now and then so i can be sure that if i am hired i can go...