The Odyssey

Evergreen State College offered a class which studied Homer's Odyssey for the first quarter, while the second quarter had the students dispersing at least 200 miles from home and finding their way home again. The final was a reunion feast and presentation of the stories about their various journeys.

Since hearing about that class, I have dreamed of having my own similar experience. Last summer I was inspired by a couple new friends who I met in Huntington Beach while they were cycling from Canada to Mexico.

My current circumstances enable me to take a similar opportunity. I will be traveling from Astoria, Oregon, via my trusty bike, along the coast route to my home in Southern California. I have given myself a month and 4 days to complete as much of it as I want. This blog will hopefully be a means of sharing my journey with you.

I love my life and my relationship with Johne is solid. He is the one who recognized my need to go do this and has been gently encouraging me to go. I feel a sense of exhilaration, peace and happiness when I think about the possibilities. I know there will be tough times, but such is life. Anything worthwhile has tough times.

Here are my hopes; rules, so to speak:
1) begin the journey
2) be open to the experiences at hand
3) never quit just because it's difficult
4) rely on strangers. Friends are always strangers at first.
5) rely on myself
6) take only needful things, leave the fluff (except my new fluffy self inflating mattress!)
7) appreciate and be so grateful for beauty, family, friends, things, myself, food, warmth
8) stop anytime, anywhere and enjoy where I am. Stay as long as I want.
9) Go home anytime--see #3
10) Rely on God, always