When I look back at the physical path I charted across the globe, I am thrilled at my progress and also deeply aware that my trek, although seemingly far and wide, only scraped the surface of the great, big world out there. But more important than the charted path, this adventure was about the journey, the wandering, each and every moment. As I sit down to write this final entry, I know that no words I write can adequately bring closure to this adventure, but I will say this. The world is a brilliantly beautiful, harsh and complex thing. This world has changed me. I am a better person for experiencing the overwhelming generosity and kindness of the world. I am a stronger, more informed individual for having witnessed unfathomable cruelty and the brutal tendency of human nature. I stand in awe of mother nature - both abhorred by the harshness and ability to cause such devastation and also with complete admiration and utmost respect. I return home utterly moved by the kindness of others. This journey has challenged me, broken my heart, filled me with distrust, inspired and motivated me, and given me hope. I have cried hard, but have laughed harder. I have been filled with anger and fear, but have chosen love. I have fallen down and failed, but I continue to dance on. I have chosen to live in the moment, to embrace each day, the good and the bad. I have chosen to believe that life's every moment is a precious gift.
I crossed paths with people from many corners of the world throughout this venture. Some I shared a conversation with and others I traveled along side of for days at a time. These people - the backpackers with amazing dreams, the hilltop chief with a crooked smile, the stranger who helped me read a map, the Vietnamese bus driver who sat with me while I cried, the selfless volunteer doing amazing things around the globe - have left footprints on my heart. These people have inspired and challenged me in every way possible. I am blessed to have met them and I will never be the same.
More than ever, I wish to express my gratitude to so many people who supported me throughout this journey. Thank you to new and old travel friends and families abroad who graciously hosted me. Thank you to family and friends back home. I appreciated your words and emails of support, your prayers and your love. Last, but certainly not least, I thank God for walking along side of me every step of the way and for bringing me home safely.
Pam Brown poetically and succinctly describes returning home after a long journey: "You will bring back pots and pictures. A sheaf of photographs. A jingle of coins. But you will bring back more. A vision of a wide world. Remembered laughter. New friends. New understanding." And so I return home with souvenirs and more photographs than I can count. But I also return home with new visions and hopes, unwavering compassion for people, and a desire to make change in the world. I know that although my days of globetrotting have ceased for the time being, this journey of self-understanding, global awareness and pursuit of a better world never ends. It's only just begun.
