Eureka!

Yesterday, as I was on the plane ride home, I was finishing a book that Christine - a woman I worked for - gave me for my trip.  When she gave me "Walk Across America," she said "This is to inspire you, and connect with the places you will be." The story is about a man, Peter Jenkins, who didn't know what to do with his life.  In 1973, at age 22, this man had some preconceptions about America and judgments about people he never met - black people, uneducated southerners, etc.  He decided to walk across the country to see if he could fall in love with the country and its people, and see if he could find his purpose and direction in life on the way.

This book was so powerful and touching for me - and when I finished this book thousands of miles up in the air, I began to cry.  Peter Jenkins spent 4 years walking across the whole country, and the stories about the people he met were incredibly moving - and those stories hit home with me.  He spoke about how amazing people are, how they took care of him, how they shared their passions and stories with him.  And I became overwhelmed thinking about all the amazing people I have spent time with on my journeys.  People are the reason I love to travel.  I love the different stories, different paces of life, different loves and sorrows and joys that each person I meet has.  And I realized as I was crying these strange happy tears that just exploded out of me. . ..that those tears were the moment and reason I had come on this journey for.

When I set out 2 months ago, I was feeling overwhelmed by all the pain and sorrow I so easily feel buried beneath.  There was too much pain in the news, too many people I wanted to help and fix - in my family, my friends and in the world at large.  I remember sitting at a mass right before I left with my grandparents.  It was a mass to bless the sick, and I cried at that mass, feeling so sad by all the sickness around me.  I felt so sad seeing everyone's pain.  The night before I left, my sister Elizabeth told me, "They might be sick now, but think about all the joy they've had in their life."  I set out 2 months ago to find the joy that can get buried for me under whatever pain people are going through.

For the first time, I was crying tears over how beautiful and full of joy people are.  I realized that every single family or person I have stayed with on my trip has been going through something.  Some transition, a painful time, a hurting family member, feeling unable to reach a person they love. . . .but even though everyone had something that was hard, there was so much love and much to celebrate.  I'm sure that Ted, the guy next to me on the plane, was wondering if I was OK.  But I let the tears keep falling as I remembered each person and family, and the beautiful things I saw in them and the special things they each taught and shared with me. I

I still have another month and a half to go.  But that book helped me realize that I am doing exactly what I came on this journey to do - see more love!

Here is Peter Jenkins and his dog Cooper on their walk across America 40 years ago.  I also felt connected to his story, because I also feel like I am going across the country to discover myself. 

My beautiful view during my Eureka moment.  That's the moon up to the left!

I loved the clouds