Scientist Seeking

When I was ten, my dad made a rope swing for me. One long braided cord with a log tied at the end. I would start at one side of the tree and push off, riding in a long arc to the other side. Like flying for just a moment, back in forth in half-circles. My imagination would always take me outside of the backyard–to a jungle, swinging on vines; spacewalking off the shuttles; repelling down a mountain side rescuing a trapped hiker. But always landing back into the smallness of our yard, a 6-foot fence shielding me from a whole other world.

I struggled for a long time figuring out what I wanted to do when I grew up. Even grown up, I wasn’t doing what felt…right. Some might call it living “out of alignment.” A lot of wrestling with identity affected what job I had. Fast food, catering, hospitality were good fits for my personality, but not what I felt I needed to do. Even my military service felt closer, but not quite there. Every thing has brought me closer, even if I’m not there yet. A spinning needle, arcing closer and closer to North.

I am not always a great listener. So, having recently asked The Universe for direction, I treated every unusual feeling or tug at my heart with the utmost skepticism. Cut to me telling The Universe I need clearer signs. Neon ones. I can only imagine The Universe mumbling “the audacity of This Bitch.” as they continue to pull levers and punch buttons.

And then. There it is. The overlap between a thought I’ve held inside and a social media post that seems like an outlier of a data point to my normal algorithms. Okay, roger that, Universe.

I’m going to hike the Appalachian Trial.

Obviously, I need to prepare. My current collection of camping and hiking gear consists of my two legs and a bin in the shed that is collecting dust. So I gave myself a timeline. Started researching, making a Pinterest board, reading blogs, watching videos, working out. But I want to stay motivated. Want to keep on track. So I made a countdown.

555 days.

I love numbers. I know the first 36 digits of pi. And God, do I love figuring out patterns and puzzles. This makes angel numbers absolutely fascinating to me. So when I saw 555 I obviously needed to know what The Universe was telling me about this.

Personal growth.

Tracking. Okay, Universe. I’m listening. I’m not great at it. But I’m trying.