The end.

It's good to be home. There is comfort in familiarity and I needed a little of that. It hasn't been a relaxing week but I have had time to think. So here's what I've come up with-I think I might be different. I think I might see life more clearly and understand myself a little better. By learning about other people I have learned about myself and I appreciate that. I appreciate that they let me into their lives so I could learn about me.
The capacity to create and contribute is in each of us and the contributions I saw have inspired me. I witnessed the unlimited potential of man at work and the beauty that desire can produce. I learned of the strength of the spirit and the boundless opportunity we each have for growth. The whole experience has left me in awe of mankind. What can we not achieve? I now wonder what untapped reservoirs are still inside me and what accomplishments my spirit may yet fulfill.
As we traveled from country to country, over 2000 years of history unfolded before my eyes. I walked their streets, heard their voices and learned of their stories. I now feel like they are a part of me. I am a product of them and others will be a product of me-a priceless lesson for me to learn. The choices and actions of others (both good and bad) are inseparably connected to my place in the world and my choices will be responsible for others as well. I just feel a lot less alone.
There are some things I wish we had in America and other things I'm so glad that we don't. I love how accessible the public transportation is and I really wish we utilized trains the way they do-not sleeper trains mind you, just normal trains during the day. I really hate those sleeper trains. The cities are walker/biker friendly and that is how most people get around. I would love to live in a place where you really just don't need a car. I also love that everything is so old but still as much in use as the day it was built. Everywhere you walk, you are tromping through time. But, above all I will miss the bakeries. Oh, how I love all those bakeries. No matter where we were, the aroma of fresh bread could be enjoyed. Every day we would explore an ancient city on foot sustained by the energy of fresh pastries and rolls. Life doesn't get any better than that.
Just as abundant as the bakeries though are the chain smokers-both young and old. I breathed in more second hand smoke in that one month than I have in all the other months I've been alive. SO many people smoke there and no one seems to care if they are exhaling right into your formerly clean lungs. I definitely will not miss that. I also will not miss trying to find where I am. Cities in Europe-including London-are not particularly well marked, and many cities are not laid out in a systematic way. So when you add that to the fact that everything is in a different language AND to the fact that I am not the best with direction and maps even in America, you can see why that might be a problem. After a while I just stopped looking at the maps because it never seemed to make much difference. Plus, maps made me feel like a tourist, which I was, and I hated feeling like I was a tourist. Of course, everyone always knew we were Americans-map or not-and they loved to put in their two cents about our politics and what they thought about America. But even if they didn't like George Bush, they were usually very nice to us. I found Europeans (excluding the French) to be tremendously friendly, generous and helpful and they wanted us to enjoy their country. I will miss all the people the most.
I think this experience was exactly what I needed and I'm really glad I went. I feel enriched, fulfilled and replenished and ready to have a life again. Stability seems always to evade me but maybe I'll have some sort of routine for a while. I am excited for new opportunities and I feel blessed by those of my past. I realized that life is pretty darn good sometimes and that might just be the lesson I needed to learn the most.