Back out of the Matrix

Me sitting with my bagpipes outside the 2010 US Open.

If you read the blog I just posted before this... then you will know that I am currently on the road again traveling on the Pro Tennis Circuit. Let's rewind for a few minutes though, back to May 28th, 2010, the day my baby came home...
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It is Friday, May 28th, 2010, my heart races as I hastily prepare to pick up my girlfriend of 3 1/2 months, Ms. Megan Dovell begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting, up from the Atlanta Airport. The last 3 of those months she has been in S. Korea teaching English. Only three weeks were we together since we began dating before she left. Megan booked the ticket the day before we met. ***
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That brisk Monday evening on the 8th of February, 2010, was a night I will never forget. It had been over a year since Megan had first messaged me on Couchsurfing, but we were finally meeting up. We had talked a few friendly messages after that, but circumstances kept us both from meeting up until now. Funny thing, when I asked Megan where she lived so I could go pick her up I found out that she was literally just around the corner from me, a two-minute drive. It is about 9pm, I arrive at the door of a nice new Duluth suburbian home, ring the doorbell and wait. A friendly and beautiful lady (whom I assumed was her older sister but found out later was Sheri Kaminski. She was the mother/wife in the ex-neighbor family that was putting Megan up. Her family of 5, the Kaminski's, grew up with Megan's family of 6 but Megan's parents moved to Ohio a few years back. Thom & Sheri are in the picture to the left where we all went out to a really cool improv theatre in February.) answers the door and has me come inside as she tells me that she will get Megan. A little "woop woop" dance by the banister with a smile as she looked up to the top of the steps and Megan walks down, humbly dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans. She hardly looked at me before we walked out the door but I could tell she was happy to go out with me this brisk evening.
Fast forward to an amazing 2 hours later. After dinner we drove to my favorite spot at Lake Lanier and walked & talked along the lakeside. She wanted to see my house and bus, so we ended the night lying on top of my school bus looking at the stars as we drank our McDonald's hot chocolates. We talked about all kinds of things and found out that we matched up on about a gazillion different levels. (We still find more to this day... and hopefully for days to come.) It was then time to take her home. We spent every day hanging out together from then until that morning she left for Korea on March 1st, 2010.

We talked every single day while she was in Korea, most of the time twice a day. We either talked on Magic Jack or Skype, depending on if I was at home or not. Since Korea is 13 hours ahead of Atlanta our nights and days were flip flopped. This often made our conversations quite interesting, one always waking up while the other winding down, but we knew how strong our love was before Megan left... so all was very worth it. Megan kept a blog of her time there at: http://mommamiaimlivinginkorea.blogspot.com
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*** Anxiety and excitement are brewing in my heart as I try and get all my stuff together before I go and pick up Megan. Finally I am finished and as it looks I will make it there right on time as long as the traffic is good... not. A big accident provides for a half hour delay in downtown Atlanta and I am freaking out because Megan has called. She has arrived and I am not there... Oh boy, not good! The car is fresh and clean, the shells I picked up on the shores of Maryland laid across the dash of my '87 grey Bimmer Convertible look beautiful, my two favorite U2 cd's (Joshua Tree & Achtung Baby) I bought for Megan sitting perfectly in her door compartment, the flowers I picked from my back yard sitting on her seat, but no Megan.

Finally I arrive, park, and run to the arrivals level of the ATL Airport. After looking for about 5 minutes I find Megan. She looks like a traveler who just flew 16 hours should. But when our eyes met we both lit up like two Roman Candles as we grasped each other... our life together has been reunited after a brief stint before she left. Oh what a feeling that was. I couldn't stop hugging and kissing her... my love, my future, my dream, my life was at my side... never to part again.









I know, my eyes were half open, but I was all there :)

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Fast forward to this day, this month, September 2010!!! As you know I have been training to get back out on the road, now that I have spent this past year breaking free from the Matrix, the grips of society. In this time I have gradually taken out the things that were slowly picking at my character like bugs slowly destroying a leaf. At first I was so numb it felt like I didn't know which way to turn. Just broken and weakened by the matrix that I was living in. In this time I really realized how important it is to NOT compromize in this life. If you have faith in God and you work on that faith daily along with what you strive to succeed in, you will find that everything you need He will provide and your life will be so much more alive, not numb at all but warm as a cup of hot chocolate on a brisk February night.

To the bed I go. Much more to catch up on, but first I must rest... Good night all. It is so good to write you again.


Signing off,

~ Nate


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