Sitting outside the Bookend Cafe on Pearl Street, I can’t help but think about my arrival here in Boulder – about 11 months ago. It’s crazy how fast time has flown – I still remember vividly my first feelings and the awe that Boulder inspired. I haven’t sat at the Bookend in a long time – afternoons on Pearl Street weren’t common during the Winter and the last few months of work have left little time for me to actually motivate myself to come down here.

But here I am and that same sense of awe is here. I am surrounded by Boulderites – Buskers and Businessmen, Musicians, Mexicans, and Milfs, and entire alphabet of alliteration that seems built for my world as an observer. I wonder why I don’t come down here more often. I take a sip from my chai and remember – BLURGH! That’s awful! C’est la vie – I’m more here for the shaded tables and prime people watching location.

A lot has happened in a year. I have a great job that I love. I have some good friends that I can’t imagine my life without. I’ve started to get into shape. I’ve been playing basketball four days a week and softball two. And while my social life isn’t up to the par that it was in Syracuse – I’m happier. In fact, I love the fact that my life no longer revolves around the next time I’m going to get drunk and that my social activities usually involve physical or mental activity – and not the stagnant pull of a night at Coleman’s.

I do wonder when my awe will end. Even when I take something for granted (Like the weather – I stayed inside all day on an 80 degree day recently) – I proactively try to enjoy all of my surroundings. I haven’t even ventured off to the wonderful things that exist right outside of the bubble – but perhaps those are journeys that await me as the start of my second year here approaches…