My life: The (relatively near) future

My life seems to be at a bit of a nexus right now. Just finished a whirlwind of a trip to LA; now I'm back in Sydney; and then... well, I don't know what happens then. I used the first post to tackle the (very immediate) past. Then I looked at the present. So now, it's the (relatively near) future... not that even I know what it holds for me.

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The future. Right.

Here's the easy answer: A job is offered to me by May 8. I accept said job. My new employer sponsors my work visa. I stay in Australia.

Hooray! Done and done.

So can we move on now? Perhaps to a topic more pleasant?

Ahhhhhhhhh, crap. Fine. Let's consider the other road that I could go down, the one that I wish I didn't have to entertain. But I guess that this is life, and I guess we have to consider all possibilities, even those that are unpleasant.

So let's break it down.

On the off chance that I don't find a job by May 8,* the next phase in what apparently has become my vagabond life begins. Australia begins to end. Some traveling commences. Australia ends. And then the real traveling begins.

*Not sure why I'm referring to this possibility as an "off" chance. If anything, it's the odds-on favorite scenario.

Here's the thing: For the past year or so, it's been my intention to do some traveling before ultimately moving back to the US. And as this has percolated in the back of my head, I'd assumed that this would be at the time of my choosing, perhaps not for a few more years. It seems, however, that my hand might be forced, and that "time of my choosing" may be now. But be that as it may, I'm still determined to travel. So that's what I'd do.

First would be the rest of Australia. For while I've seen a fair amount of this country -- the entire east coast, in fact -- this is a massive land mass. So there's still much to see: Western Australia (specifically Perth), the Northern Territory (specifically Darwin), Uluru (aka Ayers Rock), Tasmania and maybe another place or two.

Then it's on to the big trip: South America. There, the (very, very, very tentative) plan is to fly to one of the cities in the south -- either Buenos Aires or Santiago -- spend a month picking up some Spanish, and then slowly work my way north, into Central America and back to the US. And when I say "slowly", I really mean that; this would be a full-on adventure, with no more than a rough itinerary and no pressure to move any faster than I want to.

And then, once back in the US? Well, I have zero idea. In fact, I don't even know where I'd live! But that would be a long, long time from now, and remember, this is a very hypothetical scenario that may never eventuate so soon. At least I hope.

Which brings us back to May 8. That's my future at the moment, and outside of this post, you better believe that's all I'm thinking about. Because if/when I get that job, everything you've read in the six paragraphs above gets put on indefinite hold. And I'd be quite alright with that.