It has been a long month, filled with excitement and exhaustion. My travels have taken me through 12 states and Canada. Down crowded, noisy freeways and along quiet, rural roads, I have felt the exhilirating thrill of adventure and the comforting solace of Nature's serenity. With heightened senses, I have embraced the unique nuances of places to which I never imagined my journey might lead. But my journey has been filled with the unexpected and I know that the future has yet to be determined.
In the midst of unknown places and brief moments of exploration, I found more than just the means of reaching a destination. I found courage to surpass my fears. I found beauty in the unexpected. I found kinship in the quiet moments and blissful enchantment in a world where magic lifted me from the realms of reality and sent me soaring to heights I never dared to dream.
I found knowledge and history in the streets of Philadelphia and images of a simple life of quaint pleasures in the rolling hills of rural Pennsylvania. In Massachusetts, I was beckoned by the silent call of the harbor. Upstate New York welcomed me with a hospitality that rivaled all I've known and loved in the deep South. In Florida, I expected to feel at home, surprised by the sense of detachment that accompanied a more familiar destination. Through the southern beauty of Tennessee and Virginia, I learned to breathe again and to trust the direction of the road, as well as the direction of my body. Maryland was a mixture of extremes, lulling me briefly before tossing me back upon a path of chaotic commotion. In Kentucky, I danced in a midnight blizzard and found my heart once again opening to the passions of art and words. And finally, I fell in love in West Virginia. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains, I found pleasure walking down icy sidewalks of downtown streets and perusing books amongst the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. In a restaurant painted in warmth and streaks of eccentricity, I savored the taste of organic food and vegetables fresher than anything that has ever touched my hungry lips. And at last, at the top of a mountain, I let go of so much that has held me back in life. I let go, embracing the snowy trail before me, cherishing the courage and promises I found in those moments of freedom and moonlit abandon.
Now, I sit here at home, in a place of familiarity and learned comforts. But I am still holding those moments and all that I learned across the many miles of the past month. I'm still falling in love, but this time, I'm learning to love myself, the world, and the pleasures of the unexpected.
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