Preface to the Journey: The Bag That Got Me Here

Hi Steemit! My name is Alex and I've been interested in writing my whole life, and cryptocurrency for about two years now. I've gotten so interested in fact, I'm quitting my corporate job and going on the road, supporting myself entirely through crypto! No, I don't intend to make a living here on Steemit, but I thought this would be an amazing platform to share my journey and some of my thoughts on various issues of today in the world of cryptocurrency and beyond. By way of introduction, rather than plastering my silly mug up for all to see I thought I'd try something a little different; I'm going to be ordering an awesome new packing set in the next week or two (with some pictures to show you all of course), but before that arrives I wanted to do a little profile on the bag I'll be leaving behind that's got me this far. It's not dead yet, but it's showing its wear and tear and simply won't suit the needs of the type of traveling I'll be doing soon. As a disclaimer I also just purchased my first semi-professional DLSR camera which I used for these shots, so go easy on me while I get used to using it :)

Chicago to New York and Back Again

Originally a gift, this bag has seen a lot of the US, and even it's fair share of the world. I'll be returning to some locals this bag took me through the first time around.

I was lucky to be a part of an amazing fine arts program in high school when I got this bag at the start of my Junior year. We went on to perform in China and Italy, and my family took trips to both Mexico and Canada before I went off to college (unfortunately, pictures from those trips are buried deep in the archives - maybe I'll dig them up someday!)

This great bag has been mercilessly overstuffed and pushed to the limit, and it definitely has the battle scars to prove it. When the college acappella group at my alma mater would tour for over two weeks at a time, twice a year, I lived out of this and one other bag of approximately the same size. Good thing none of our audiences ever got near the luggage because it was always a bit stinky by the end of each trip!

This bag has been tossed, tumbled, crushed, stretched, and lugged well over 10,000 miles through every state in the Northeast, Florida, Louisiana, California, Indiana, Ohio, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, and Wisconsin, and that's not counting the thousands in overhead compartments or under my airline seat. Truly, this bag has gotten me through some of the toughest trips and times of my life, as well as some of the absolute most joyous ones, too.

Caught on cupboard handles, dragged across the floor, and tossed into the bottom of my closet until the next time around, this bag has stayed remarkably useful through it all, and even taken on a weathered character all it's own, like a nice leather boot, or a trusty pocket knife. No one could say it hasn't done it's duty and more, and I'll be eternally grateful. I can't wait to share my new luggage and the rest of my travels from here on out with the awesome Steemit community here that gets stronger every day. Thanks for looking, more to come very soon!

Best,

Alex