Some final thoughts about my trip

There’s lots more I could tell about my trip, but I don’t want to become one of those folks who invite you over, trap you in the living room and then make you sit through all 1000+ pictures of their trip including the 125 of that one spectacular view taken at 10 second, 1 inch increments. 

I left my home on 9/19 and 2,441 miles later returned on 10/3.  Nova Scotia and especially Cape Breton are beautiful and the people so welcoming.  The geography is so extraordinary. I believe it is why so many creative people are drawn there.  The beauty inspires whatever creative juices one has to flow freely.

It is as if you could stand in the middle of Cape Breton, stretch your arms out and the tips of the fingers of both hands would touch the ocean, one the Gulf of Lawrence the other the Atlantic Ocean.  Then, if you were to turn to the right the fingers on one hand could skim along the tops of the highlands while the fingers on the other could tickle some grazing fields or splash in lake water. 

The overwhelming natural beauty of places uncluttered with human habitation allows what or whomever we understand to be that being beyond us, for me that is God, to speak clearly and constantly to our inner being, for me, that is soul.

Doing this on my own gave me lots of time to reflect and pray, in someways it was like a moving retreat. I have returned home spiritually renewed, restored; physically and emotionally rejuvenated and energized.  It has given me a feeling of empowerment.  It is not that I feel young in body, but I no longer feel old in spirit.

It can be so easy to let my fears hold me back.  And, living in a world filled with dangers, not taking risks can be rationalized as being the wiser choice.  Now, I'm not advocating for recklessness, carelessness, or putting myself in danger.  I will leave that to those extreme sports folks and adventurers. 

But I do advocate for my pursing things that I have been drawn to and in spite of my apprehensions or fears just doing them.  I have been transformed by this trip and I truly believe it is because I did something that was scary and kept going forth in spite of my fears.  

I think I am now going to work on a different kind of  "bucket list."  Not one of just places to go, things to see and do.   Rather, what else have I thought about doing and haven’t done because I was afraid.  It doesn’t have to be a trip.  It doesn’t even have to take me out of my neighborhood or even out of my home.  But is will take me out of my comfort zone. 

I need to spend some time reflecting and pondering what will be on this list.  As it develops I will share it here.

I would love to hear from others what they might put on this type of a bucket list.