My MacArthur Moment

It is decided. Barring unforeseen events, 2015 will be the year I return to Europe. At the end of my trip back in 2012 I made the, perhaps cliché, promise to go back one day. It was my “MacArthur Moment.” In the time that followed the 2012 trip it became clear that it would be a few years before this promise could be realized. In 2013 my income was focused on paying off the last of my student loans and in 2014 I had sufficient life distractions to keep me occupied. But now, in 2015, it looks like circumstances are coming together so that I can make good on my promise. I’ve been saving money, I’m preparing to leave my current job and I’m feeling that same travel itch I had to back in 2012. This past New Years Day I spent much of the day rereading my old journal from the 2012 trip, looking over photos from the journey and viewing travel material online. I’ve got that same excitement I felt back then, even though this will be my second time in Europe and I have a better idea of what to expect. On top of all this, I have a great reason to go this year. A friend of mine is finishing up his PhD this spring and back in 2013 we made a deal that after he graduated we would go on a Europe trip together. That said, even if things fall through and he has to pull out, I’m still going. I am a man of my word, and this is the year I make good on my promise.