by: Jaimie Gleissner
Illinois is beautiful in the fall. I had put so much effort into escaping my hometown that I had forgotten how amazing it is to gaze at the horizon with an uninterrupted view. Back-roads and corn fields are the scenes of my childhood - things I still see clearly in my minds-eye when I'm far away from home. Harvest season brings the brilliant oranges, yellows, and reds of fall, and I find myself reminiscing over the huge piles of leaves my sister and I used to jump in. The air is starting to cool and become crisp now that October is reaching it's end. By the end of next month, winter will be in full swing. Temperatures will drop far below zero; snow will pile up and hang around until spring, and every
Midwesterner will ready their snow shovels and stock up on salt.
Last winter I lived in Wickenburg, AZ and would cringe when the weather dropped below 60. In a few days, I'll be packing up my car and leaving for Denver, CO. Lola (my car), and I will once again be forced to brave the winter elements. I've never spent a long period of time in Colorado, and I'm looking forward to experiencing everything the Mile High City has to offer. At the same time, I'm absolutely terrified to leave home and possibly find a permanent address.
I've spent the past 16 months making decisions on a whim and avoiding actions that could potentially make me commit to a single location. But a lifestyle of constant goodbyes becomes sad and exhausting after a while. In a few days, I'll say a final farewell to Illinois. With the exception of a couple summer trips, I'm officially relocating on a permanent basis (at least that's the plan). I've made a living traveling by myself without anyone else to worry about, but I think I'm ready to be a little more stable. Am I giving up my ambition to travel as much as I can while spending as little as possible? Absolutely not. I'm just ready to grow up a little bit.
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