Can I just say how nice it was to be home? It was a quick trip, with lots on the agenda, so I didn’t get to see everyone, do anything around the house or just chill at home, but it was great anyway. It also confirmed that it is indeed time to wrap this adventure up.
Day 74 was the first day of the final leg of the trip. I flew back to Atlanta to join back up with Holly (my Volvo) and Aidan (my GPS), and we high-tailed it out of Atlanta as fast as we could. Didn’t want any negative vibes to get me off on the wrong foot (wheel?)! Soon I was in beautiful Alabama – have to stop and spend some real time there someday – and just a few hours later was entering Florida, the sunshine state. Of course, by then the sky was dark and only the full moon was shining but hopefully I’ll see some sun over the next few days. (Wish I could bottle it and bring it back up north – talk about a fabulous Christmas present!)
I had a lot of thinking time between the plane and Pensacola, Florida. And there was an article in Delta’s Sky magazine that provided additional food for thought. Deepak Chopra and Russell Simmons discussed happiness as the key too life. I agree with much of what they said, but what really stuck with me was Deepak quoting someone else:
- The most important time in life is now.
- The most important person is the one you’re with right now.
- The most important way to create the future is to act with awareness right now.
Put that together with the ‘pay it forward’ notion and doing good unto others as you’d have done unto you, and I think you have the recipe for being happy. It certainly put me in the right frame of mind.
One of the best things about this last part is that virtually every stop is to see friends or family and catch up with people I haven’t seen in way too long. I know it will make the next couple of weeks fly by. In the case of this first stop, it’s to catch up with someone I’ve never spoken to: Dan, a friend of Delanie’s. She knew I was heading south after Atlanta, and needed a guaranteed better stop after the disappointment of Atlanta. Dan is a fellow traveler and lives by the water in Pensacola – stop there and get back on track. Why not?
A free spirit, Dan goes where the wind blows him. And usually alone, so he wasn’t the least surprised by my solo journey. His house has reminders of his travels everywhere – framed currency from around the world, shells collected from numerous beaches, world music CDs playing. It was a relaxing evening, complete with a walk on the beach (the water now is still warmer than the Cape in August). Delanie was right – a good way to start the end of the trip.
Amy's America 