Thoughts after a month back home

It's been a month since I got home.  I wanted to put some notes of reflection on record, but I also wanted to have a chance to re-connect with the normal world before I did.  30 days feels like a good number of days to have the perspective to come to some conclusions on the trip and life in general.  So, here goes.

Main notes from the trip

    - The USA has a LOT to see in it.  As a family we only entered ten states and really only entered two of them (Idaho and Arizona) in passing on the highway.  We spent almost eight weeks in these eight states and saw snow capped mountains, farmlands, deserts, canyons, rivers, waterfalls, rain forests, sandy beaches, rocky coasts, and volcanoes.  There are many countries that can't offer half of this list. 

    - Despite having nine weeks to do all the exploring we did, it felt rushed.  We covered almost 7,500 miles in those nine weeks so there's a reason it felt rushed, but when I left, of the comments I thought I would have about the trip, I really didn't think I would say that it was rushed. 

    - Sleeping almost outside with just a piece of screen or canvas between me and the outside is amazing.  I never sought this out before the trip, but now I want so much more of it.  

    - Nights out west are QUIET!  Seriously, it's silent at night out there, no frogs, no insects, just quiet.  It's very different from an outdoor night here in NC or back in the Midwest.

    -  Yellowstone continues to win my heart and remains my favorite place on earth.  However, Kings Canyon/Sequoia, with their massive trees and spectacular views of the Sierra Nevada Mountains was an amazing new place to visit.

    - Both Legoland and Calaway Park were great stops for our family.  While they weren't nature, we had such a good time those days

    - Nebraska is a long state and is terribly boring to drive across.  I can't recommend going across it twice in a summer.  :)

    - Produce is better fresh.  California strawberries  while I'm in California may be my favorite food treat ever

As for notes on life that I was able to glean while on the trip

    - There are amazing people everywhere you go if you stop to give them a chance to show who they are.  While exceptions to this rule exist, I think it's still fair to assume that any stranger is generally good

    - Forests and nature are amazing for mental healing.  There's science showing there are chemicals trees release that calm us, but being in nature invites deep breaths

    - I had drifted from the father and husband I wanted to be over the years.  I'm so lucky to have the family I have and be able to spend nine weeks shoulder to shoulder with them as I strive to be who I want to be

    - YOLO while likely overused remains true.  As a friend of mine just expressed it, "Life is not a dress rehearsal".  Thankfully I was in that mindset and leapt off a cliff into a very cold Crater Lake.  It was exhilarating in the moment and I'll never forget it.

    - The song "Wear Sunscreen" continues to be the best advice for life I can find all collected into one place.  On this trip, I followed it by 1) wearing sunscreen, 2) working hard to bridge gaps in geography to see the precious people in my life, and 3) traveling.

    - Experiences are way better than stuff

As a final note, I will share one philosophy that I will try to take from the trip - perspective matters.  A picture of the largest tree in the world doesn't matter if there isn't a person, car, or something in it to give a comparison too.  Also, a rough day where, let's use a wild example, your car starts smoking for the second time and you have no internet access, can only be fully appreciated for its minor importance in life when viewed by the perspective of life overall.  Remember to view things appropriately and life will likely be so much more enjoyable.

Thanks for reading along everybody.  I hope to see you all soon.