One week in: reflections

Well, so far it's been a great trip. I was out on a hike this morning and thought to myself, "I'm so glad I'm doing this trip." And I love the fact that I'm doing it alone. I can do exactly what I want to do at every moment. If I want to sleep, I sleep. If I want to be a tourist, I do touristy things. If I want to hike, I hike. I love it.

I've always been independent. For various reasons in various situations, I've basically always had to be. And I love that. I love being independent. I love not being dependent on anyone. I love doing exactly what I want to do when I want to do it. But just cause I like being independent doesn't mean that I like being alone. I'm a very social person. And that's coming out a lot on this trip. I talk to a lot of people. In some ways, I'm getting a little sick of having the same conversation over and over again. I do love talking about my trip though. Most everyone is really surprised, and then supportive, and then sometimes offers suggestions. Some I dismiss cause I know they just won't fit into my plans. Others I take under serious consideration. I know that most people mean well when suggesting things.

I often get asked if I get lonely in the car by myself. So far, I haven't. I am pretty good company to myself. I listen to my audiobooks, talk to myself, give imaginary speeches, sing along to carbon leaf and show tunes, and generally keep myself amused.

You know, I got my heart broken pretty severely about 2 years ago. And in some ways, I feel like I'm still trying to get over that. A lot of people have asked me what the "goal" of this trip is, and I never defined one, other than to experience each moment for what it is and to enjoy everything as much as possible. But I think, in a lot of ways, this journey is a moving forward for me. I described this trip not as a vacation, but as a chapter. And I think that maybe it is simultaneously the final chapter in my last book and the first chapter of my next book. It's the turning of the page and acknowledgement that maybe, possibly, I may be ready for something new. I don't know what my next chapter is, but I do know that, so far, this chapter is pretty great. I think I'll keep writing it and see where it leads.