Monday, September 3, 2012

Wrapping Up SLC

Well strangers, I'm out of my apartment for good. Sorry if you were trying to stalk me and you just found out where I was living. I promise to give you enough information in future blog posts to piece together my whereabouts again so you can come and murder me with an ax. Honestly though, I would prefer if you did it in a less gruesome way. Also, if you're going to take Paul Cyclemon, he'll need a new chain soon. And I swear Larry smelled that way when I bought him.

Daniel, Krishelle, and I will embark on a couchsurfing survival quest through parts of eastern Europe tomorrow as a final adventure before the next great one in Palau. Stay tuned for some dramatic and strange stories over the next few weeks. And if you could all call 911 on about Thursday and let them know I'm in lots of trouble and need an ambulance and a fire truck, there's a pretty good chance it will be true and I'll be happy you cared enough to send help.


It's so so strange to see my year in Salt Lake City come to an end. I've sort of had more than a year here, but I've been working for a judge in the city on a one year contract and that one year came to a screeching halt on Friday. Between trying to finish up my job and move myself and all 2 billion useless items I have collected over the last year but can't seem to give up, one could say that last week was a bit stressful.

Lots of change. Lots of strange. Business as usual.

It's been a good year in Salt Lake City. What a great little town. So many new and wonderful friends. So much excitement and disappointment. So much unsurety and so much excitement because of the unsurety.

I was thinking recently about how we so often dread the passage of time. We hate the thought of how old we'll be at our next birthday. Or what it means that it's already been 5 or 10 or 30 years since we finished college, or had a baby, or bought that first Snuggie, or whatever. And I guess we dread that passage of time because it means that that time is now gone forever. Or, we see the number of days as a count of lost opportunities.

We see time in the present and the future as an asset. And the more we have of it, the better off we are. Why? Is it because we expect to fill that time with something valuable? To what end? To enjoy the moment? To have something to look back on later with fondness?

And often we see passed time as a liability. We view years as "baggage" if they've already happened, but if they haven't, "the world is our oyster," or however that saying goes.

But I really think this is totally backwards. Because if we're doing it right, time that has passed should be our greatest asset. If we're living the right way, the days that have happened won't represent lost opportunities, but gained experiences. And those experiences, hard, exciting, confusing, and strange, make up all the parts of ourselves that make it possible for us to understand and enjoy the world now, despite all its imperfections.

The choice is ours to make. Gain those experiences. Develop that persona. And give a little more to the world around you so that soon you'll be proud that a certain day has passed rather than wish you could try again.

Not saying that I'm perfect at seizing the day or making the best use of every second in it. But my long and sometimes arduous Salt Lake year is ending. And I'm not sad that it's over. I'm happy that it happened. And I'm excited for all the experiences in it, be they brag-worthy, or embarrassing, to make the next phase all that more worthwhile.

Glad to have you all with me on the ever-changing journey. For stranger or worse.

~It Just Gets Stranger

17 comments:

  1. You're the greatest and definitely helped my gain the courage to move to San Antonio.

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    1. Best of luck Craig! Make the most of your time there!

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  2. This was so touching I feel like I should print it out and hang it up next to my Gettysburg Address. Thanks for all the strange times, Snuggie champion! You're truly inspiring.

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  3. So, I was watching one of the Mormon documentaries around Mitt Romney last week, and they had a kid that was in "The Book of Mormon" on Broadway and it showed that his parents were on a mission in Palau.


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    1. I saw that too! It's funny how many people I know have passed that along to me. It made me wonder how many times we've all heard the word "Palau" in the past and didn't notice because many of us had never heard of it before.

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  4. thank you for posting this, I might actually have to throw it up on my own blog, well link my friends to it at least... I am still currently in the process of moving to France (we started the move with a tour in Paris). This is like the best explanation of what it's like to leave, and it feels nice that in this strange strange world we are not really alone, somewhere someone is going through the same thing. Thanks!

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    1. Totally agree. And it's so helpful to chat with others who have the same concerns and desires. Best of luck to you on the move! Anyone who comes out of moving alive should be given a Nobel prize.

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    2. I agree... especially when you move to a country that speaks a different language... (Props for your two years in the Ukraine)... We must make up prizes asap!!!

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  5. This is really helping me today. I always really appreciate your posts with extra insight. I can't tell you how much you have done for me this year and I don't even know you. --Jared

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  6. A new year can begin any day of the year. Let the journey/adventure/experience begin!

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  7. Very good blog Eli. We are really going to miss you as you take on a new opportunity and challenge. Dad

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  8. i saw a headline from the corner of my eye and thought all your nightmares were at an end (all the ones concerning a certain possessed piece of poultry trying to ruin your life, that is), but then I actually read it and found that the Columbians have not come to your rescue: "Queen of Cocaine Killed in Columbia." At any rate, best of luck. Keep sending your strange stories.

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  9. I can't decide if this is telling me to forget my last two semesters of college and move back to Hungary, or to hang in there for just a little bit longer. I loved it nonetheless and once again, you've inspired me.

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  10. I've been in the moving process for two weeks now. Well, couch surfing for two and packing for one. I may or may not look like a cancer patient. Oh well! Thanks for the inspirational post.

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  11. Michele McCann AndersonSeptember 11, 2012 at 3:47 PM

    I was reading your blog and thinking "yes, he is definately a McCann"! Although the last time I saw you was when you were probably 8 or 9, my family and I have enjoyed reading your blog and hearing about your adventures. I especially like to read about the times when you were younger. Since we lived in California we missed seeing all the cousins grow up. Dana Kay told me to read your blog when I saw her this last summer. I'm glad she did because you definately have the sense of humor that is shared by many members of our extended family. We wish you the best in your new job and can't wait to see what crazy things are in store for you!!

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  12. The choice is ours to make. Gain those experiences. Develop that persona. And give a little more to the world around you so that soon you'll be proud that a certain day has passed rather than wish you could try again.custom essay papers

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