summer 2013: epilogue

tomorrow i go back to work without complaint. is it this job, after all, that facilitated the adventures.  people have asked if i'm "ready."  the feeling of dread that hits my stomach when i think about taking on another school year suggests i am not.  ready or not, here it comes. 

sufficeth it to say, the past 65 days have been rather epic.  9 countries (10 if you count texas), 7 modes of transportation (plane, train, bike, bus, boat, car, foot), roughly 16,300 miles in all, many of those miles sans human companion (one i knew, anyway).  when spending extended amounts of time in solitude, your mind has the opportunity to wander to corners of its spaces previously neglected as a result of, well, life.  over the past 9 weeks, i've given some much needed attention to those dusty spaces and was (needfully) reminded of this: self-imposed limits of what is possible and impossible prohibit a more fulfilling existence. the mind can be our greatest asset or our biggest roadblock when it comes to living a full life, but too often, our thoughts establish barriers on what we can and can not do, what we can and can not be.  if we could use our minds to open doors of possibility rather than close them, i think our true potential would be within reach.  i am by no means perfect in this-- far from it.  my mind and i battle on the regular about what i can and can not do.  i, too, shut doors on possibility-- especially on the hard days when getting out of bed seemingly requires the mental effort equal to climbing everest.  i would hope, however, that the experiences of this summer have established a pattern of thinking and living that can be integrated into my very being.  obviously, this kind of existence is not achieved without work. but as i have to convince myself frequently, but hopefully less frequently in the future, it is a work that is worth every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears.

summer 2013: thanks.  it's been real.