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The road is seemingly endless and the only thing you have is the 30 lbs of odds and ends to satisfy your any need for the next couple days.  There isn’t anything better I can assure you, out here you can be whoever you want to be.  You no longer have to be so-and-so from who-knows-where, USA.  They don’t know you and more often than not are not interested in knowing where you are coming from and much-less where you are going, but it matter not what they know, but what you know and the steps you take to arrive.  Whether you ride in on your prized stallion or you crawl on your hands and knees the last 3 miles because your feet are bleeding from interminable pain you’ve put them through.

The idea of being by yourself can only be understood when you are truly by yourself and not a soul within a hundred miles knows your name or has even heard of your name.  Being alone on top of the mountain two towns over will never be the same as the time that you set out to conquer 35 miles on your own and watched the sun fall to the earth like a blazing ball of red fire and sleep under the stars by yourself with fireworks exploding overhead. Sometimes the most exciting people you meet, if even for 5 minutes, are the people towing your car to a place that will charge you an arm and a leg to fix it.

Goals aren’t always met.  We fall short, stumble, trip, or whatever the case we may be, but the fact is these things happen so we can pick ourselves up and learn.  So that next time we may be prepared for what lay ahead.  There will always be another shot to take and when it comes you should take it and conquer it and if not then you will be that much closer.  You learn a lot about yourself off on your own when no one is around to push you any further or when you have finally exhausted every muscle in your body. There is no failure. Not for me, and not for anyone, just a period of trial and error until we finally complete our tasks.

Nobody can tell you what you have done is right or wrong, you must figure it out for yourself.  If at first you don’t succeed, try again.  Don’t believe that very time you make a run at something that you will succeed (thanks J).  That will be your biggest disappointment of all.  Life is a series of doors that open and close.  As you close one be sure to open the next and don’t stop until you find the back.

side note: life gives you lemons, throw them out and go find your own damn lemons.

HAVE YOU SEEN?: Food, Inc. If not, then head over to your nearest blockbuster, if they still exist, or put it at the top of your netflix queue and prepare to be amazed at where all the “yummy” food comes from you are so happy to eat every day.  I will never eat meat again in my life.