While sipping coffee in one of my favorite coffee shops in Saugatuck Michigan, it finally hit me- I’m leaving the country in 16 days! I will be homeless, jobless, penniless, and showerless for the next four months which is a state I have never experienced.
My brownie suddenly tastes so much richer, this wooden chair much more comfortable that it has ever been before as I realize this will probably be the last time I encounter such luxuries for quite awhile. This trip in general has changed my perspective a great deal it seems. I find myself appreciating everything from the weight of a fluffy blanket to the speed of a car in a more significant light since realizing that my legs will be my only backup plan for the rest of this year. In a world of convenience and speed I tend to forget the simple necessities for living, and for the first time I plan on experiencing the bare minimum. I will become a human sponge- detached from any particular society, simply living each day to soak it all in and truly encounter the world.
I think the theme I have been contemplating most since signing up for this trip is the trouble of keeping up! I am not a cyclist by any means and was never even considerably good without training wheels to begin with. My balance is questionable, and my attention span even more sparse than my sense of direction which is an abomination to my species in general. I plan on starring at the rear ends of my fellow bikers for the majority of the trip, yet I am also determined to grow in a sport thats new to me. This will be the first step in acquiring a new hobby that I truly enjoy doing in spite of the pain and tears it has caused me in our short relationship thus far.
Am I excited? Extremely. Am I nervous? In a very big way, YES. Do I have any idea what I’m getting myself into? No freaking clue. Will I regret the day I agreed to bike across the world with four strangers and a friend while not even owning a bike yet? Not for a second! There is no doubt in my mind that this will be the greatest and most significant adventure I have yet to encounter in my 22 years, and I cannot wait to get wherever we may go, and to smell the flowers along the way.
Tori! Thank you for letting us in on these moments and being transparent!! I love your fresh honesty–I think when you “smell the flowers” it will be with all the more sweetness because you let yourself express the apprehension… one who has felt the night rejoices all the more in the light of dawn.