This is a picture of me, at 19, waiting for my first international flight. Sitting there in that airport, I could never have imagined what was to come. Little did I know that I was about to embark upon a path that would lead me on the adventure of a lifetime.
It's been eight and a half years since this picture was taken. Since then, I have flown on countless international flights to destinations across both the Atlantic and the Pacific, traveling through 100s of cities in 23 countries on 3 continents. What a marvelous journey it's been, and continues to be!
It's hard to express just how grateful I am for all of the experiences I've had these last years; to be honest, I'm not actually sure that it's possible to adequately convey the depth of gratitude I feel for getting to live the life I've imagined.
These last 6 months have been an exercise in trying to show that kind of gratitude. With 6 months still left to go, who knows what other amazing things I have left to be grateful for!
In honor of this post being about my journey, I will leave you with some excerpts from one of my favorite books, a book that quite thoroughly sums up the journey that is life: "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" by Dr. Seuss! (If you've never read the whole thing, you should! As soon as possible!)
"Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.
...
KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!"
Sihanoukville. Cambodia.
