…a year and a half of planning, and three years of thinking about it, I am now only a few days away from actually getting started. It’s only just started to sink in that I’m finally this close to leaving. Lately my life has been busy enough that I haven’t had time to think about the “future” even when the future was only a couple days away.

All throughout October I was focused on the KJAZZ pledge drive and really had no time for anything else. As soon as that ended it was off to Chicago for the 3rd Coast festival, and I could barely wrap my head around plans for that. (In fact, I shoveled most of the planning off to my dear, sweet friend Connie who I badgered until I convinced her to go and then proceeded to let her take charge of booking the plane tickets, the hotel room and figuring out how to get from one place to the next once in Chicago. Thanks Connie!)

Once that was done all I could think about was finishing off KJAZZ stuff so I could head down to San Diego as quickly as possible and focus on packing for my trip. And now I’m here and almost so focused on the packing that I’m forgetting what I’m packing for.

It still hasn’t sunk in that I don’t need to rush, and that if I leave a day later than I originally planned it’s perfectly fine. Suddenly I have no deadlines, no plans, and no need to be anywhere in particular.

Which is nice because I have to-do list a full page long and two columns. Even after a full year on the road I doubt I’ll be able to shake my addiction to making to do lists. I may not follow through with them once made, but I think I’ll enjoy it when the things on the list are:

1. bike around
2. sample regional foods
3. meet people interview someone cool
4. hike someplace beautiful
5. take tons of pictures
6. check out museums
7. sit quietly and tat up some new piece of lace
8. read a book or two
9. write in journal
10. drive somewhere new and repeat 1-9

Maybe I should change it from a “to do list” to a “could do list.”

There was a glimmer of this new reality sinking in as I approached my parents house on Tuesday night. I was listening to an interview with “The Hungry Cyclist.” He mentioned a book that had inspired him to take his bike trip around North and South America. I made a mental note to check out that book when I’m on my trip and had time. Only then did I realized that time was less than a week away. But I still don’t think it will really sink in until I’m actually on the road.

For the last two years I have been putting aside books I want to read and things I want to do, waiting for this trip and now suddenly it’s nearly upon me. I have an absurd number of books to savor, an pile of crafting supplies, hours of interesting radio shows and podcasts to listen to, and a huge continent with nearly half a billion people, many of whom, I suspect, are interesting.

And now, finally, there’s nothing between me and the road more complicated than figuring out how many books I can fit in the van.

Categories: Travel
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