Well, it’s over. I wrote my last exam of my undergrad today and I am officially in self-creation mode. Other than holding down a part-time job, I am pretty much a free man. So, here I am asking myself “now what?” It has come to that point where my future is pretty much an open canvas. During the past four years I have known that I would need to make a decision about what to do next, but it really didn’t hit me because I was always thinking about the next essay, exam, or set of readings. Even during the summers I knew what was coming–another year of school. Well, now all of that is done… I think.

I really don’t know what the future holds for me, but I’m hoping that I’ll be able to make some decisions this summer. The plan is to head out to Vancouver and think about what’s next. I want to take some time to reflect, hike, camp, scuba dive, and take lots of pictures. I’m hoping that this process will clear my head a bit, allow me to shake off the mindset of being a student, and give me a chance to make the next step.

It’s a very weird feeling, not knowing what is coming up–yet it is very exciting at the same time. For my whole life, up until this point, I have always known what was next. It was almost like a security blanket, and now it is gone. At the same time, I know I am very lucky to be in this position. So many people who are settled tell me that they wish they could have the same freedom–something one of my professors called “old man’s envy.” It is an exciting time and I am going to try to make the best of it.

In the very near future I do have a few plans. On Wednesday we are taking Rita’s little brother and my little cousin to the Toronto Zoo. This will also give me a chance to take some pictures :-). Then, next Monday, Rita and I are flying to Cuba for a week. We’ll be staying in Santa Lucia at an all-inclusive. I’ve never been to an all-inclusive and I’m a bit hesitant about the idea (I like to be a bit more entrenched when I travel), but I’m going to give it a shot (rough life, eh?). I’m sure it’ll be great and I’m really looking forward to doing some scuba diving while I’m there–Santa Lucia is home to the longest reef of its kind in the Western hemisphere.

Anyway, that’s where I’m at right now. It’s a pretty cool time to be me and I’m excited to see what develops over the course of the next year or so. You can be sure that I’ll be posting all the news here though, so stay tuned!