What next?

This is by far the BIGGEST question on my mind now. Now while I think that most people only make BIG life decisions and moves a few times in their lives (I'm sure there is some statistic to prove me right), I seem to make these big big decisions at least every other year or so. It was only last year that I was deciding between finally signing a lease in New York City and staying on there OR coming back to Sudan! It's pretty clear how that decision played out...

But now I'm back again....BIG DECISION time!!! So the choices would appear pretty simple: continue working abroad or move back to the U.S. But they don't feel simple at all! The choice seems big, scary, final, and all other words associated with 'not easy.' This isn't to say that life's decisions should be easy, it's just nice when they are sometimes.

Every time I come to this 'big decision time,' I always start thinking about the BIG questions like: what is important in life? and what do I want to be when I grow up and how is THIS decision going to get me closer? and I know I'm suppose to be listening to my gut and all that, but my gut tells me a lot!!

Either decision seems to have a biblical list of pros and cons. For example, living abroad means I get to continue traveling and maybe get to know a new city (or village considering it's really about where I get a job) but it also means I continue living a gazillion miles from my friends and family (in this line of work, the friends you make today could be moving to Sri Lanka tomorrow) who are anchored in the East Coast. On the other hand, moving back the U.S. could mean I could FINALLY get involved with some other stuff (more artsy, creative, entrepreneurial ) that I've been talking about for YEARS!! But I'm not even sure what city I would move back to! I've already lived in New York, Washington, D.C. and Boston, but I'm not sure I want to move back to any of those cities. Maybe Philadelphia or Portland or Providence or Burlington???? I definitely want to stick to the East Coast...although I also did LOVE Seattle, and the southwest is warm unlike the tundra that is the NE in winter.....??? Reminder: I've been living in the heat that is Sudan for the past 11 months so freezing endless weather is DEFINITELY a factor in this decision.

Anyway now that I've had my Cry Out Loud (COL) moment, back to strategic panicking...NO! I mean PLANNING!! ;)