Into the woods

There's a paralegal at work with whom I occasionally but regularly have meaning-of-life conversations -- well, more specifically, meaning-of-my-life conversations. I ask him how his plans are coming along, he tells me the latest idea or outlook he's adopting or considering. Yesterday, he said he was going to just relax for a few months and let the ideas kind of come from within. And then he asked, "So how about you?"

"Um..." I said.

He laughed. "I love that every time we have this conversation, I talk and talk about my life, and then I ask you, and there's always a silence."

"Well," I said, half defensively, half humorously, "I'm going to the woods to commune with nature, so maybe I'll come out the other side with some ideas."

More likely, I'll come out the other side with a desperate need for a shower after 8 days of backpacking. But at least it's time away from the office. The amount of anxiety I feel about not having a Blackberry on me for over a week is a bit worrisome in itself.

I'll try not to get eaten by bears.
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