Reflection

So in the end, you just get on a plain, put your bike together, start pedaling and deal with whatever happens when it happens. Sometimes you loose yourself in the highs, other times you desperately look for a way out when you're crying and want to go home, 3 days into the trip. There is no way to foresee these happenings.

8368 kilometers or 5200 miles I bycicled through swamps, deserts, mountains, icy areas, urban and desolated fields. I can't help but feel a tide rip of nostalgia wash far off and tremendously close by faded and fresh memories on newly discovered shores. Places I didn't know the existence off, inside and out, opened up to me, showed me their passion, beauty and uniqueness.
I found myself surprised, intrigued, ecstatic, sad, loved, out of breath and cracked open in a smile. Talking to people, strangers, friends, fauna, landscapes and to myself.

This journey through time, I escalated on a different dimension, on a counter-cultural wave. Traveling slow, nomadic, I got lifted and carried away, cared for and consorted. Homeless, I don't think so. Not all those who wonder are lost (J.R.R. Tolkien).  

Cycling for 1000s of miles, I found in myself a bundle of cheer and joy, a lust for life. And when I let my thoughts absentmindedly hover over the widespread ocean, I wonder why it is I don't feel more excitement on this final float to end-destination. But a sudden stir and single tear of elation make me realize I'm not done yet. This is not the end but merely the beginning of a life on a journey in search of a story. In the end, it's not the years of your life that count, but the life in your years (A. Lincoln).

It was a pleasure sharing my adventures, encounters, lessons and beliefs with you. Maybe we'll meet again, but for now it is Adieu. 

Love,
Fien