things I’ll leave behind

Sleeping as late as I want to on a weekend. A veggie burger and a bag of Baked Doritos for dinner. Three nights in a row! My laptop next to me on the couch as I watch "The Office" or "American Idol" while flipping back to the Rangers game on commercials. Jewelry strewn all over the top of the dresser. About 80 pairs of shoes and boots in the closet, and some on the floor next to my bed. Walking back and forth between the bathroom and the bedroom after a shower completely naked. Napping on the couch for 2 hours on Sunday afternoon with Court TV on for background noise. Changing into my PJs the minute I get home from work because I don't have to leave the apartment until the next morning. The trash/recycling room right across the hall. Bathroom spritz-and-dry for wrinkled clothes at the last minute. Spending money on whatever I want, maybe a seventh pair of black sandals (because really, they are all different!) and not explaining myself. Waiting until I need underwear to do laundry. And no stairs to carry it up or down. Eating half a sleeve (or more) of Girl Scout cookies in one sitting. On-site dry cleaning. Sushi, Mexican, Italian, and pub food all within a block. Cleaning in spurts. Holding onto catalogs that I know I'll never order from. Silence and solitude whenever I want it.

Silence and solitude when I really don't want it. That's enough to offset the laundry and the cookies and the sushi and the catalogs and the PJs several times over.

The shoes are a tough call!

answers

Seems I'm not blind. It's light, I'm safe, and the numbers add up. There are still hurdles -- some pretty big -- but I don't have to navigate them alone. And taken slowly and deliberately, this marathon will be worth more than a thousand sprints. More difficult and more challenging, but definitely the payoff I'm looking for. Guess I'll have to train on the Spanish Steps.

Ciao.