the quotable shakespeare

I happen to be one of those annoying people who collects quotes and later recites them in conversation like they’re words of wisdom I came up with myself or scribbles them on papers with smiley faces. No, I don’t do that second part. But I do like to use quotes to back up my beliefs, even helpful reminders like, “heart disease – it’s the silent killer!” So when I came across this line recently, I had to adopt it:

Travel not to escape life, but to keep life from escaping you

Lest anyone think that I embarked on past or future adventures as a reaction to a mid-life crisis or fit of insanity, this explains the real reason much better than I ever could. After all, it’s not like there’s anything bad about my life to escape. Sure, I get the occasional split end and insufficiently caffeinated latte, but really, it ain’t bad being me. And there certainly isn’t much to escape in San Francisco. Everyone likes the city. Unless they’re on crack. No, actually, those people like it too. That’s why they’re still here. Voting with the feet. That’s how we roll.

But anyways, life is good, so it’s not so much traveling as escapism from my poor provincial life as making sure there isn’t something better out there. Because isn’t there an inherent feeling that there is? And don’t you want to do all the double-checking now, while free of any obligations, including leases because you live in an illegal sublet? The world is your oyster! Which I with sword will open. And by sword, I mean Visa, which is all you need. But once you’ve gone out and explored the rest of the oyster, you can be assured that life really is that good. Which just makes it that much better.