Realization.

Last night I dreamed that Earl and I had moved into an apartment outside of Boston, in a somewhat rural area somewhere along the 495 corridor. I’m familiar with that area; I lived there in the late 1980s and early 1990s when I worked for Digital (DEC). It’s a pleasant area, especially the rural bits near Stow, Littleton, and Acton. It’s just close enough to Boston to make the big city enjoyable, but it provides a retreat from the hustle and bustle. I woke up with a smile and a pleasant vibe. As per my standard morning routine, I went for my morning walk at 05:15. It’s dark at that time at this time of year, and I enjoyed the bits of moonlight left from the waning crescent and gazed at the Pleiades, my favorite celestial object in the sky. I was still smiling. I mused about how much I enjoy the quiet bits of the morning, and that I actually enjoy near darkness more than most people. I find the setting calming. This is when I realized that while I’ve been yearning to live out in the…