Day 89... why does this feel so familiar?

So I'm spending the last couple of days of the Project up here in the woods of Northern Vermont. I'm really glad I came up here as I needed the dose of tranquility. I spent the afternoon walking around some beaver ponds and an old abandoned farm that I used to take kids up to in my days as a camp counselor. It was a welcome chance to try and still my mind from all the chaos of the last few months.

Life certainly has a way of keeping us busy if we let it. This summer I've been focused on the PCP and on my Magic playing. As the PCP has been winding down I've found myself wondering what I'm going to do now that I'm not on this fixed routine. Well, the answer came yesterday morning. I got a call saying I've been accepted to a graduate program at Champlain College. I start working towards my Masters of Science in Mediation on Monday. It'll be a shift from developing my body to developing my mind, and I'm psyched!

The workout today was a beating. But it was the best beating of my life. I really gave it my all, and I'm glad I did seeing as my workout tomorrow promises to be a peace of cake. Should be invigorating to see how far I've come. More than anything though. I'm nervous. It's kind of frightening to be standing here on the edge of completion (I know my name says complete on the PCP website, but that's only in Patrick Time so far) and knowing that after this point it's all on my own will power. I'll have no Patrick pushing my limits and no team mates encouraging and supporting me.

Oddly, the way I feel right now is all to familiar to me. It's almost exactly the way I felt about the end of my Peace Corps service. Excited for change, yet sad for such an influential time to end. And again, I find that I've once more engaged in an adventure that has distanced me from those I knew before. This time my world view hasn't changed so much, but my perception of fitness and food has radically transformed. I know that tomorrow night I can go out and go nuts on the town but honestly, I don't really want to. I mean, I'll probably have a beer (or maybe a glass of scotch...mmmm scotch) and maybe a sandwich or something at the pub, but get wasted? Pig out on cakes and deserts? No thanks.

Now I just need find globally conscious and fitness minded people to hang out with so I don't go nuts.