One Month

The milestones are coming. I remember how big of a deal it was when I made it to Washington, the 10th state. It was also where I first saw the ocean on the trip and was an amazing feeling as I stood at Long Beach, WA and sucked in that fresh ocean air. That was a long time ago. Tonight I will be in Indiana, the 48th state of the trip. And the plan is to be done one month from today. One short month! I have a feeling it’s going to be one of the craziest months of my life between going to my brother’s wedding, flying to Alaska, returning to Michigan, and completing the biggest accomplishment of my life.

I hope it doesn’t end fast. I hope I can ride out this wave. I’m going to need this whole thing to ease out. I won’t be able to end it sudden and just start something else. It’s been a new lifestyle and adventure that I’m used to. I love being on the go and meeting dozens of new people each week. I’m starting to realize that all of this is going to be very hard to let go. A lot of it I can continue doing. I’m sure I’ll continue to try and meet new people wherever I am, try new foods, seek new adventure, all while trying to photograph everything. Some things will be gone. It will be hard to drop off the Compass. I mean c’mon, it has become my home. Being in the Compass is my retreat. When I’m stressed, need to clear my mind, want to have a good time all I need to do is get in and drive. When you drive a brand new vehicle full of graphics while doing a road trip it truly brings a lot of livelihood to the story. It’s always a conversation starter. I enjoy going to a gas station knowing that it will start a conversation where I tell people the story and their faces light up. It’s a sense of hope. The American dream!

Anyways… as it goes I’ve got at least one month left of all of this. That’s all that’s guaranteed. After that everything becomes a mystery. One more month! One more month of meeting new people, driving to new towns, rolling down the windows, showing off the Jeep Compass, having no idea who’s going to be on the other side of the door, trying to find where the glasses are in the kitchen, and everything else. I’ll be making the most of this month. Hopefully it will carry on for longer, but I’ve got one more month to enjoy it as much as possible. It’s going to be great!

P.S. I’m a little nervous, excited, scared, anxious, restless and anything else. I think it’s going to take more courage to finish the trip than to start it!