January 5th, 2011
Total Distance for today: 0 miles
Total Distance for Tour: approx. 553 miles
LOCATION: Raleigh, NC
STATUS: Preparing for a 400+ mile couch surfing extravaganza – sans RV!
Well, here we find ourselves at the end of what has been a most interesting and intense holiday season. I hope that you took the time and the energy to actually appreciate the people you spent it with. It’s so easy to just pass through and only care about everything we want to achieve. I’m the guiltiest of that.
We also find ourselves at the end of my short little hiatus back home. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this opportunity, but I will say that it surprised me. I was surprised by how many people were genuinely excited and happy to see me. Mostly, I was surprised to see how much I have taken people for granted for so long. Take it from someone who’s been out on some lonely roads: The people in your life matter more than you may realize. I know they’re irrational, annoying, over or under involved, unappreciative, and perhaps even unaware of the important things about you, but they matter. Believe me. And the ones who care will make that apparent after you’ve been gone for a little while. Some of the people in your life might surprise you. I found and was reminded of those people in my own life this holiday season. For them: Thank you for caring about this crazy skater. 🙂 Thanks for continuing to be there through the thick and thin. You mean more to me than you know. You know who you are.
I’m feeling this really sincerely now: Do great things, go after dreams you thought were impossible, and be bold, but don’t forget that one of the greatest adventures is found in the connections you make along the way. That is how we bring meaning to great accomplishments. There are grand events with little meaning. Ever consider that an exploding star is a magnificent event that, physically, is billions of times as great as anything that any human has ever done? But if no one sees it or cares, than what does it matter? It is the value and meaning we create as living, thinking, and self-aware beings that makes events and achievements matter. The human aspect of our accomplishments must never be removed; else nothing we do can matter. There are infinite paths that you haven’t walked yet, but you have to slow down enough to care and see them. They can only exist if you’re willing to create them with the people you decide will matter to you.
So here I go: off on what may be the most challenging and interesting part of this journey. I will be couch-surfing all the way from Raleigh, NC to Atlanta, GA. That starts this coming Monday, January 10th, and I will be traveling over 400 miles on my own. Don’t worry: I’ll find a place to lay my head. I’m resourceful. Also, it’s 400 miles on the road, but it’s not 400 homeless miles. I’m trying to learn how to bring home with me wherever I go. That’s not just sentimental BS. There’s something powerful about knowing that you can be calm and centered wherever you are in the moment. Let the moment be your home. Let yourself become the moment. And you will be your own home wherever you find yourself.
I’m sorry I’ve missed so many posts during the holidays. I promise to do better now that I’ll be back on the road. Things are about to be interesting for me. I’m sure they can be just as interesting for you, perhaps even more. I encourage you to make 2011 the year you finally stopped saying “someday” and finally went out and made it happen today.
