Preparing to go halfway around the world

I fly out of Chicago on August 11. I've spent the last few weeks paring down my clothes and posessions. I've found that, especially with clothes, I have a tendency to have way too much stuff. I enjoy going to thrift stores and picking up items, mostly clothes, books and maybe kitchen items. In a relatively small amount of time, it is very easy to amass a bunch of crap. Individually, these things are fairly harmless. But put together, they become fairly anchor-ish, if you will.

I have bagged and thrown out a lot. Being in Chicago is good for that, because there are folks who cruise the alleys everyday to turn your trash into their treasure. So, there's little guilt about throwing away perfectly good items. Someone will use them.

I'm going back to Kansas City this weekend to store some things that I do not want to lose entirely- a computer, some furniture, books and most of my winter clothes. Taiwan just doesn't get down to below-zero temperature. Plus, I'll get the official goodbye from my parents. I know, it may sound odd to be 38 and going through that, but I am the youngest of five children. Long ago, I accepted the fact that I will always be a baby to my mom. I can't change it, so I just roll with it. Also, I must face the possibility that one of my parents (both in their 70's) may not be around when I return, especially if I spend more than a year in Asia.

Add that to the fact that I am doing something that I should have done when I was fresh out of school so I feel like I'm regressing, and I am having a little trouble keeping it all together. I haven't smoked weed in over a month, because I will get tested at a physical in Taiwan in order to obtain a work visa. I'm not going to lie. Pot is a good friend and coping mechanism. Al-ky-hol- not so much for me. When I'm worried about something and try to drown my sorrows, it rarely works out well. So, this is a good period of character-building. I always knew that being raised Roman-Catholic would pay off.