20 September 2011

tentative "see ya later" to a second home

One of my greatest struggles in recent weeks has been internalizing the anticipation of my pending invitation and eventual departure. At this stage, I have not made the status of my application 100% public, but even if those outside of my immediate friends & family circle were made aware, I'm certain I would still be facing this challenge. The fact of the matter is that it's something I have to go through on my own, with limited exception, just as I will be on my own for a good deal of my time in country. That being said, I figured it was a good idea to start thinking out loud and, by virtue of this blog, sharing those thoughts with anyone who might tune in. Welcome to my brain.

As the window of time between now and when I might depart grows smaller by the day, those moments where I find myself doing or preparing for something that will likely be my last "such and such" for quite some time seem to take on inflated meaning. This weekend's trip to Citizen's Bank Park to see my Fightin Phils take on the Red Birds of St. Louis was perhaps the most noteworthy of such experiences thus far. 

You don't have to know me very well to know that the Phillies are the soundtrack of my summer. This has been true throughout my life, but such sentiment has fully woven itself into the fabric of my being over the past three seasons as I've settled into my Pemberton Street dwelling. Few experiences have brought me more peace in that time than sitting on my deck or roof, cold beer in hand, looking out toward a sunset over the gloriously illuminated Philly skyline, and tuning in to Larry Andersen and Scott Franzke as they paint a picture of the poetry as it plays out on the diamond. 

Sunset, Skyline, and Phillies on the Radio