Tuesday, November 2, 2010

I’ve got two yoga mats, a hula hoop, handstand blocks, my sewing machine, three laptops, two bins of fabric, work clothes, fancy clothes, yoga clothes, rock climbing shoes, snow pants, a down vest from Dinah and a windstopper fleece from Cheryl, and a bike rack that could be worth more than my car, among other things. I had a last minute trip to the dentist yesterday and my mechanic today. I got my haircut last week. I’ve got a car stereo that needs to be installed sitting in the front seat next to me, so no driving music. I haven’t yet figured out how to turn on the GPS unit Eloise and Elliot gave me.

I didn’t leave October 8, so I missed the acroyoga festival in San Francisco. I moved out October 15, camped at decompression that weekend, and then came back to San Diego to stay with my friend Mankx while I finished managing my stuff. I thought I would probably leave last Thursday, but I didn’t, and I thought I would definitely leave Sunday, but I stuck around to get my car checked out one final time.

So I left tonight, election day, as it happens. I voted last week, since I didn’t think I’d still be here. And I stopped watching TV before the polls were mostly open in the morning. So, as of this writing, broken car stereo and all, I don’t know which direction the country’s headed. Which feels kind of appropriate, since I only sort of have the next maybe three months mapped out for myself, and I don’t know where I’m headed after that.

But I headed west from Mankx’s house at about 5:15 this evening. I announced my departure on Facebook, sent a few texts, and said goodbye to his cats. Though I had intended to leave by noon, five wasn’t too bad. It was plenty of time to make a nine o’clock dinner with my college roommate, Eric, in Hollywood.

Taking the 52 was a dramatic way to leave San Diego. For one thing, his house is maybe a mile from my first apartment in San Diego on Dennstedt Court, so it felt a little like coming full circle. Driving over the hills just before Santo Road, I had a great view of Pt. Loma and the downtown skyline. I could see the ocean peeking through, even from fifteen miles inland! I drove through the rocky, scrubby hills that I love, past REI and my favorite boba place. Traffic was at a standstill heading east, but I was sailing by! I drove into the setting sun, but not directly. I could see it a little to the left, out of the corner of my eye, rather than being blinded by it. Just as I thought I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect exit from my home of the last 13 years, I headed north on the 805 and then came to a stop at the merge, where the 5 and the 805 meet. I had not finally discovered the secret traffic sweet spot after all. San Diego was fully prepared to keep on doing its own thing with or without me.

My dramatic exit came down to just me, stuck in traffic, with a car overstuffed with things I thought I might need based on what I liked in the past or what I liked to think I might need in the future. In the end, I did have to leave my tightwire behind because it just didn’t fit in the car. But by far the most challenging part was all of the friends I was just driving away from. I am really excited about finding out what my journey may hold, but for sure is it difficult to go.

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