3 weeks and 3 days till...

I'm lying on my daughter's mattress on the floor of her new apartment in Boston. We still need to buy basic furniture, ie. desk, bed, drawer, coffee table and a television. As I think what are her "necessities"; suddenly, I think about my own "necessities" in my currently unknown housing in Tanzania.

People adapt to what they have and do not have. You become accustomed to driving a Mercedes-Benz, riding a bike, or traveling by foot. One can have the luxury of eating three different variety of all-you-can-eat cuisine or one main meal consisting of a heavy carb-filled plate of grains. It's all the same in terms of survival and living. You get used to a certain kind of living condition and lifestyle. As long as the basic needs are met, the rest is extra credit.

I'm feeling that once I return home to California, with only 2 weeks and 3 days left until I depart for Peace Corps, it will emotionally feel like 2 days and 3 hours as I still have not entirely completed my "to do list" and towards the end the social obligation one should oblige. There are also some very, very long phone calls I've owed people that I still have not returned.

When I leave my house on September 30, I know I will wonder if I have missed doing something or forgotten bringing something. It's an unsettling feeling surrounded by angst and stress.

I have 3 weeks and 3 days to avoid and prevent this.