17

I don't have the time for a proper post today, but I cannot allow the day to pass without making note of the date.

Today is August 4.

Seventeen years ago today, I boarded a plane that took me from Pittsburgh to New York, and then another that took me on to Stockholm, arriving in Sweden on August 5th.

Without this experience, I would not be the adult I am today.

I feel nostalgic, and astonished to realize that I was 16 when I did that; it is now longer ago than I was old at the time. Um. I'm not making much sense there, but *I* understand what I'm trying to say, even if I can't adequately communicate it with you.

I celebrate this day as I do any other anniversary, as it marked a turning point in my life that is as big as the anniversary of the date I graduated from University, or the date of my first full day on the job at my first "real" "grown-up" job.

Would that I were a wizard...I'd be sending up red sparks from my wand today.