On anxiety

I have a tendency towards anxiety, and lately it's been focused on sustainability: I've grown attached to my lifestyle, and I'm reaping the Buddhist consequences by being preoccupied with its continuation rather than living in the moment.

I've heard that depression comes from living in the past and anxiety from living in the future, and this certainly holds true for me. One of my favorite parts of my life, for example, is making plans and bringing them to fruition. However, this brings the downside of fearing loss.

Still, I'm making progress. I can at least recognize my issues and, instead of making complicated plans for every contingency, I'm learning to simply let go and trust that I'll manage to muddle through.

Trip Ideas and Future Plans

I've been thinking about long-term touring goals: I managed two big tours in 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2013, and I hope I can make it a regular part of my schedule. Right now I look most open in April and October, though I'm certainly flexible about which seasons I spend abroad.

I'm currently planning my next Italy trip, tentatively March 25 - May 6. I want to go back to northwest Italy, I've yet to fulfill a long-term goal of seeing Sardinia, and I'm spending a week in Rome with a partner, so I'm figuring out how to tie them all together. As a bonus, I'd like to busk Pisa: I've never liked it as a tourist destination, but I think it may redeem itself through its university nightlife.

Next fall, schedule permitting, I'd also like to go back to South America. The last trip was an amazing experience while being financially difficult, but I think I've figured out ways to make up for it. I'm going to stick with one country, I've found a local source of cd duplication to avoid immigration hassles, and I had an epic week in Valparaiso so Chile it will be!

And I continue to brainstorm future tours. I'd like to combine southeastern Italy with Croatia and Bosnia, hopefully in 2016. I'd like to do another Argentina trip, focusing on the Rio de Plata region and dipping back into Uruguay. And, tentatively in 2017, I'd like I celebrate my fortieth birthday as I spent my thirtieth, on an extended tour, which hopefully will concentrate on Greece and Italy.

I'm hesitant to share future plans because I'm superstitious and even when things go right they're subject to change based on my whims. However, I'm at a stage in personal growth where I'm deliberately trying to break out of my secretiveness and looking to generally overcome my superstitions, so sharing here seemed a logical step. I remain hopeful and flexible, which isn't a bad mantra to embrace.