Greetings from across the pond! I have had many cycling adventures here in Europe. I've been here a month already. My English is starting to deteriorate but my Deutsche is improving. My hair is growing back, already it is as long as it was in November '09 before I shaved it all off in January '10.
I don't have much to bitch about today unless you count the heat and the separation from my family and friends. This experience has taught me a lot about attachment to objects and connection to people and the ability to generate ideas. The attachment to objects is superficial, for example, your objects can be stolen from you or you can be separated from them as I am now. It seems accumulation of possessions only sets one up for a big loss or a tough time moving. Connections to people are important and tie us to our humanness, but they can only enrich one's life so far. Only when one's self-concept is aligned can he or she be happy and free. Reliance on people for one's sanity is dangerous because those people can also be removed from one's life by distance or death.
But the ability to generate ideas is something that has not yet been taken away from me. At least I am still able to expand my mind and make new neural connections. Barring a head injury or neurodegenerative disease, I should be able to take these things with me for the rest of my life. I've been thinking a lot about why I am on this internship and I am still trying to make heads or tails of it. Spending time and energy on one's career is interesting because it's an uncertain investment, but if we aren't investing in ourselves than what can we believe in these days?
The view from my handlebars... A glimpse into the mind of a working mom.
