First, I would work. This would not only give my days focus, but it would also allow me to save money for a journey Out West the following Summer. I had thought about this trip for 4 years, and I needed to give myself new experiences, so I reasoned that it was time to make the journey happen.

Transportation

Second, I bought a motorcycle. This was to both get me to work, but also to potentially give me a means to travel come the following Summer. It was the most inexpensive form of reliable transportation I could think of and, after reading Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, it fit in very well with my philosophy at the time.

Inspiration

Third, I would read. During all my school years I had found great joy in expanding myself through reading, so if I was going to be home for a year I wanted to make a list of books worth meeting and then work my way through them. I knew that education could happen just as well outside of school, so expanding my mind should not stop.

Socialization

The final element of The Plan was that I was going to be choosy about who I spent my time with. I knew right off that I could not go back to hang out with high school students going to HMHS. I had seen older kids trying to relive their past glories and they had always felt a little pathetic to me, so I was not going to do that. With all my friends off at college this would mean that I had a much smaller social circle, but with my brother living at home as well and his circle of friends I thought I would do fine.