A Satisfied Mind

What are you looking for in life?

This is something that I have been forced to ask myself a lot lately. First and foremost because of our impending move down south. But also, to a degree, because of the immenent European vacation. We're planning stops and stays, which cities to add which to cut out, where to linger and where to rush. Over and over again it comes down to, what do you DEFINATELY want to say you have done or seen when you get back to the states?

Rome was a must. The combination of the center of Western Civilization and the modern center of Christianity was just too enticing. Throw in things like the Sistine Chapel and the fact that I can sing "An Evening in Roma" for like three days in a row, and we had to make time for Rome.

France, both countryside and Paris, were pretty much a lock because...well, I am married to a French major. We're spending two days in the Italian Riviera (might as well be France), two days in Provence (Avignon, to be specific), and then two and a half days in Paris.

We needed a couple of days in Prague, firstly because Allie is participating in a marathon there and secondly, because it's one of those cities that is amazing but rarely visited by the average European tourist. Everybody goes to Rome or Paris, London or Zurich. But who goes to Prague? Us, that's who.

I'm Irish. I'm proud of it. And I have a terrific love for beer. Do you think there is any way that we would miss out on a little time in Dublin? Not likely. So, we've penciled in three and a half days in Dublin. Right across from the Guinness brewery, I might add. I'm gonna dance a jig, kiss random stones (blarney or otherwise), try to find one of those darn leprechauns, and drink the Guinness brewery dry.

The whole idea of this trip is that if circumstances fall against us, and for whatever reason Mrs. Rogue and I never make it back to Europe, we will have seen the things that we most want to. We're trying to get satisfaction.

Beyond the trip, what do we want out of life? What is that will leave us satisfied when we look back at the next ten years?

A job with a purpose. I don't want a paycheck. I'll take one for a short period of time, but I want a job with some substance. A career if you will. I'm a writer at heart, and someday (maybe posthumously, but someday) that will be the label that others apply to me. But for now, and the foreseeable future, I need a career that can put me and my talents to use. I'm a smart, personable, well-spoken guy. The Rogue is looking for a company that can put me to work and send me home proud of the job I've done.

To be in command of my finances. This is another place where that "job with a purpose" can come in handy. I don't need to rich, or paid above my worth. But I do want to make enough to pay my bills, get out from under our student loan debt, and get us on the road towards home ownership.

A home of our own. Ella and I both enjoy gardening. We are both animal lovers. These are things that conflict significantly with long term renting. We do it now because we don't have the financial means to buy, but that won't always be the case. We want a porch for coffee in the morning and beer in the afternoon. We want a yard big enough for elephant ears and a banana tree, with a little room for the Drunken Dog to run. We want a full bathtub (showers are great, but sometimes you wanna stew) and a dishwasher.

And one more thing to fill that home. An Eames Lounge chair and ottoman. You can find out more about it at today's Exclamations of a Drunken Rogue!

Yep, that stuff would leave me pretty satisfied.