Sweetness

I just experienced one of the most liberating and beautiful moments of my life, and yet....so simple. I drove my car for the first time in over 4 months. It was so lovely. It's one of the first things I did when I got home. Jumped in my car, put in Sarah M. and then Over the Rhine, and drove down Rte 23 with the windows down and sunroof open as the gorgeous orange/red sun set to my left. Destination: Wal-Mart. Where else? ;) Bought some things I needed, you know...Ice cream, a CD, chocolate, that kind of stuff (hehe) and then speeded home in the dark listening to my first ever personally owned country CD and looking to my left once again to see a beautiful orange moon on the rise. And the wind swirled through my car. And I found out that I most certainly have not forgotten how to drive, so the whole experience was just amazing. I can't explain it. That's what the trail does to people. It makes people appreciate all the small things in life. I can already feel it leaving me, though, and I'm already taking things for granted, but I hope I can keep reminding myself of what a blessing it is to have all the things I have and experience all the things I experience. Like, no more pooping in the woods....I have flush toilets for that! Amazing! And running water whenever I want it. And a house to keep out the rain. And a car that can get me to Marion in 15 minutes instead of taking most of the day. Ah, I love it.

Unfortunately, not everything is so easy and amazing all the time. I am already feeling pressure to figure out my life, find out what I am going to do, when in my mind I'm just kind of like "I really just feel very chilled out and would like to enjoy this time I have off to spend it doing a lot of things that I never take time to do." Like (and don't tell him) but I want to take my dad to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame sometime soon for a day trip. Just he and I. Spend some time with Pops. And I want to do some things with Lacey. I've never really taken time for her. And I want to go visit all my peeps in Oxford that I have neglected for the last 4 months!!!!!!!! :) I'm coming soon, I really am! God willing, anyway.

So, beyond the pressure to find a job, I am also dealing with this whole eating and metabolism thing. It's going to be a rough road I know for the next few weeks. Not sure how I'm going to deal with it all. At one point on the trail, I had lost 30 lbs, but since off the trail for about 7 days on vacation with the fam and no hiking, I think I have already gained back close to half of that. Eek. And there are all of these books about the trail....hiking it, reflecting on it, many diverse experiences, but no one has written a book (to my knowledge) about how to deal with getting off the trail. I mean, most hikers go through this awkward physical phase where they aren't quite sure what to eat anymore, and then there's the emotional turmoil that a lot of people feel as well. No books to help with this. I'm on my own. What do I do?? All of the friends I made that might be able to understand live hundreds of miles away. Crap. Well, needless to say, I will get by. I'll figure something out.

Anyway, tomorrow I hope to write about my last day on the trail and the summitting experience with Pa Bert and Taco, as well as my reunion with my parents and Lace and post a few pics. For now, I feel like I have a bazzillion things to catch up on.

Man, it does feel great to be back in Ohio. But I never really thought about how incredibly flat it is until we were close to Waldo......so incredibly flat. :)