317. The Dream is Alive

I did it. This evening I bought tickets to Spain. I’ll be heading there in late spring. I planned my trip around going to go see some Barcelona soccer games. One of them is El Classico, the matchup between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Now, I don’t know if I’ll be able to get tickets to go, but it would be a heck of a game to go see. Also, for some reason Barcelona has a midweek game that week, which I am going to try and go see. Other than that, I’ll be in the country for 11 days.

It felt good to finally pull the trigger on some tickets. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. I’ve wanted to go ever since about 2008 when I first read a book on the history of the Barcelona soccer club. I wasn’t quite sure what it was. Something about the club slogan “Mas que un club”, “More than a Club”, stuck with me. I love the sense that the team is something bigger than a team. It’s part of your life. I thought about possibly going in April of this past year if things didn’t turn around at my job in Marshall. I had plans to quit and hike the Camino Del Santiago. The idea of the Running of the Bulls stuck with me as well. Those things and places always seemed romantic. They were beautiful, mysterious, magical, and heartfelt. Spain seems like a place that captivates the soul. I’ve wanted that for a while.

As a bachelor, I’ve been thinking a lot about the things that I can do with my own time and money. I have more time than money, so I know I need to take advantage of that. I was scared to purchase tickets due to vacation times and money and all that. Now that I have a bit of security beneath my feet it will be good to experience something new. I’m very excited to get out of my comfort shell and my normal routine to go to Espana. This will be awesome.

My only plans are to fly into Madrid on a Thursday. I need to start planning about what I want to do, what I want to see, and what I need to get before I head to the country. Luckily, I have a little bit of time before I get there. This is really exciting and I’m glad I get to go. I’ve been thinking more about listening to one’s self and taking advantage of the opportunities that are placed in front of you. I think that human’s in the 21st century need to do a better job at listening to themselves. We are subject to so much information that it’s hard to listen to what you really want. I toyed with the idea of seeing France and England on a European trip, but I decided that Spain was really the only choice for me. Those other trips could wait. I knew that I’d regret it if I didn’t go there.