Every Adventure

     On the dawn of my thirty-second birthday, I am so grateful. I sit here at a table, on an early morning ferry out of the San Juans, sipping hot coffee and watching a morning fog lift and stretch itself away from this chain of mystical wooded isles. I am currently in awe of the moments of my life that have brought me here. A life well-lived to the fullest, yet not even halfway over, I eagerly consider where I might be another thirty-two years from now.        Why has my thirty-second birthday become such a marker for me? Given me such pause in the string of birthdays before that? For most, the thirtieth birthday is the one to fear, the day that receives tears and anxious rumblings about how the twenties were wasted on youth, how our years of usefulness to society are dwindling away like grains of sand in some secret, hidden hourglass. But for me, this year’s celebration brings a marked time of change to my life; the end of relationships, the start of a new relationship with myse

Well, I've just finished up a stint of intense traveling. In the past six weeks or so I've got to Africa, driven 3,000 miles across the US, and done a whirlwind tour of Dublin, London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and Munich. It's been an amazing experience with a lot of lessons learned, that's for sure. I had plenty of time to consider traveling as I sat on planes, in trains, and in taxi cabs, more specifically solo travel. While I was running around, I noticed very few solo travelers abroad. Is it that few people choose to adventure on their own, or was it simply that solo travelers tend to blend in much better than boisterous groups of families or friends? The few singles I noticed stood out; they carried giant backpacks, pausing on street corners to consider maps or glance at their phone for guidance. I had the opportunity to discuss the differences of solo vs. group travel with a friend while sipping a beer in Germany, and we came to the agreement that both experien

It's been a long time since my last blog post. ... Isn't that what every blogger says though? They apologize, they offer a reason, an excuse, and then they attempt to charge forward past their mistakes, promising more updates, more content if you'll only keep reading. Luckily if you're following this you already know I've accepted that I'm not that kind of blogger, because I never promised regular updates in the first place. Read this or not, I'll write just the same. I've found that I only have so many "writing" points in me on a daily basis. Very rarely can I write for hours on end, typing away until my hands ache and I notice it's dark outside. More often I write until I feel like I've gotten it out of my system, like it's a craving to be filled until the mood strikes me again. Sometimes I use my points up on journaling, sometimes on little writing projects or submissions for various publications. Sometimes I start a stor