A River Runs Through It

Every summer of my life I have lived 10 min. from the river. No matter where I live or where I travel to, I have always managed to be home by the river in the summers. Soaking up the sun and braving the cold rapids to get to my favorite rocks. Letting out a loud whoop when the first splash of frigid water hits you in the face as your raft shoots over the waves. This summer I live in a suburb with a pool. I took a dip today and it was extremely refreshing. I realized how much I miss swimming; how it makes me feel like a little kid and completely pleased with the world around me. Lakes have a natural calmness to them. Oceans are strikingly beautiful and powerful. Pools are a fun substitute. Every body of water has it's attributes, but I speak the language of the river with it's currents, eddys, small and large rapids, and Y's that give you a choice of which way to go. I'm enjoying my summer here, but summer isn't summer without jumping from gray to tan rocks, sprinting over grass onto sand and into pebbles in the shallow water. It isn't summer without the squeak of hot blue rubber as you pump up your rafts and put your spray skirts on. Tighten up your life jacket and grab a paddle and your river shoes embrace your big toe.
In July I'll be back on the river and my it will be sweet.

How Do You Do?

I suppose I should have introduced myself first before diving headfirst into my swirling thoughts. My name is Hannah and I've decided to start a blog because my friend Chelsey has such a lovely one. Also it's nice to take my thoughts and store them away out in the world wide web.
I love to write. Poems, stories, ideas.
Now I have a place to put them.
No longer do I use a notebook (my handwriting is horrid), only a computer.
Welcome to the golden age of the Internet.

I also love to read. And tell others what to read. Brave New World. Read it. It will rock your world.
Aldous Huxley is my new literary hero.
"But I don’t want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin."-The Savage

When That Wind Blows

Stagnant. That's a word that makes me shudder. It's something I don't want to be. Sitting in one place, doing the same thing, over and over and over and over.

Wanderlust. That's a word that makes me all dreamy. There truly is a travel bug and it bit me hard. Now I want to roam from place to place, soaking up the views, the people, the food, the traditions.

College is over and so ends my life as a student. That which has been my identity for 22 years. I can start anew. And yet I have to go back to where it all started. My hometown, so that I can save money to go to Australia and New Zealand. It's worth it. I just hope I don't lose my soul in the process. Here's the big question. Come September I need to decide if I want to apply to teach English in Japan or South Korea. It's frightening, but it's new. The fear of a new place is easier than the fear of an old one.

Asia. I never thought I'd go there.

Now it's my only option.