Back Home

If you haven’t already guessed it, I eventually make it back home to the Seattle area a few days later. Why did it take me nearly four months to write the closing post on this road trip, you ask? To be honest, it was hard to muster up the motivation to write it. By the time I got back to Seattle, I was feeling ready to end the chapter on the road trip and begin a new one. I was craving normalcy.

What I wasn’t expecting upon my return was the shock of being back in a mega-city. I was literally in a daze for days. I had forgotten how to mentally and emotionally deal with so many other drivers on the road and having to constantly interact with people. In my entire two months of traveling, Denver was the only city I drove through that came close to resembling Seattle, and though I talked to more strangers than I’ve ever had, most of my time was spent alone.

Several friends have asked me over the last several months how my trip was. I’m finding it’s too big a question to answer just yet. So, all I can provide is a mere, “good.” I’m not sure how to summarize the experiences I had on a nine-week solo road trip. Did I learn anything? Definitely. I learned that I’m capable of setting a monumental goal and following through with it. Sure, I’ve set goals before but nothing quite like this one that spanned over nearly a year and was very calculated in the steps I needed to take to accomplish it. I’ve had countless fleeting grandiose ideas that never became more than a thought because they seemed too hard or required too much effort or risk, or it would mean changing my life in some significant way, which perhaps I wasn’t ready to do yet. For whatever reason, this one stuck and it was something I felt I needed to do now rather than later. And I’m certain I will learn more about myself reflecting on this trip in ten years’ time. I will never forget this experience and will continue to push myself to enjoy my life while I am here and to see as much of this world that I can while I am able.

So what’s next? Well, while on my road trip I was offered a position with my former employer that was more suitable to my background in writing. I jumped at the opportunity and am very excited with the prospect. I am now living on Whidbey Island and am loving it. I’ve found a place to park ‘Ol Betty until I figure out my next move. Over the last few months, a new dream has been developing in this little brain of mine, so it’ll be interesting to see where it leads me over the next year or two. I’ll leave a hint: Tiny House. I intend to keep this blog going with new adventures and stories and continue my hobby of creative writing on the side. In the beginning of the year, I had a feeling 2015 was going to be an extraordinary year. I was right. And I’m starting to get that same feeling about 2016.

For those of you who followed along on my adventure this past Summer, I hope I was able to at least provide a little entertainment. And for those who wrote me, many thanks to you for your support and keeping me inspired to fulfill a dream. Until the next adventure!