Thank You

He took two or three minutes to formulate the words. It was important to him. I could see that, so I waited. He finally got it out, “thank you.” He meant it and I thought about it the rest of the night. He rambled on and on and I wished I could understand. I wished I could do more than the quick fix of a warm burrito. It was a hard night. Somebody asked why I did it. They figured it must be quite rewarding. On the contrary, it’s often draining. One can’t help but feel a little overwhelmed being out there. “I do it, because I think it’s important” was all I could reply, then rode into the night.

What a long strange trip its been

The trip had ended, but it didn’t seem over. All in all, it was pretty rough. I struggled with a language barrier that I had never experienced before. Half the group spoke French, and …well, I don’t. I don’t know what I would have done if it wasn’t for my co-leader Lindsay. She pulled me through with out even knowing it. This is us with a freaking futon on our roof rack. We slept up there every night of the trip, rain or snow (it didn’t snow). We had some great laughs, some heartfelt cries, and saw some awesome sights over the last month, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world. I look forward to the long drive from San Francisco to Denver and then back to LA this week. More importantly, toward the opportunity to see some amazing people along the way. I have a feeling the long lonely drive will bring the necessary closure to the summer, and I will arrive back in California refreshed and ready for the next adventure which is most commonly referred to as life.