After months of waiting I have taken the leap to explore the world.  I started out with what could only be referred to as an “easy” beginning, and am currently visiting England.  This is largely friendly territory, in fact friendly to a fault.  The English are truly a humble and generous people from all I gather.  My hosts are absolutely incredible and I am honored they allowed me to stay with them.  They don’t understand what a great service they have done for me and I’m certain I can never repay them.

I’ll not name them out of respect but I am forever grateful for this opportunity they have given me.  The opportunity to get the hell out of my comfort and time zone.

This is only the beginning, 2 flags to fly in one trip.  Not too shabby, though.

Cheers from the land where everything has sausages and gravy (just about the highest order compliment that exists).

In accordance and obeying the bug which has bitten me, I decided to be spontaneous this weekend and visit a friend who lives about an hour and a half away in a decent sized city.  I went with no real plans in mind other than needing to pick up a couple things for my future travel plans but we ended up going on various adventures roaming around the city.  I am extremely grateful to have such friends, who have helped me to embrace who I really am, and to take risks with me.  It was a great night out and I got home in the early hours of Sunday feeling well at peace with the world.

Sunday has proven to be different, in an odd way, difficult to explain.  To simplify, I feel disconnected from the world.  Like I’m monitoring a life from the outside but it’s my own life.  Strange.  It’s as close as I have come to bothered in months, but far too close for comfort truth be told.  That is not what this place is for though, it is for adventures, and for self-discovery.

On that front, I have aligned my priorities and have dates in place to pick up my tickets to the left coast.  This trip will include rail, skies, roads, and likely plenty of good old fashioned hoofing it.  This isn’t a notion that feels outside a comfort zone, but it is one that I have never followed through on.  No more of that.  With this many years already behind me there is no valid excuse for that kind of pussy-footing.  Life is too short and I’ve already spent too much of it with my head down sulking.

Big world, bigger ambitions.  Help along the way or get out of the way, because time is truly of the essence.

Waiting is terrible as far as games are concerned.  The opponent is one impossible to beat and will kill you in the end.  Time waits for no one, and shows no remorse as it rolls over us all.  To be fair is not in the nature of such a force, but as it destroys, so too, does it mend.  Time has no concern of loss or gain, only to fulfill its agenda, an eternal march.  Time is apathetic to our love, our hate, our triumphs, and our trials.  Time is responsible for all things but will not be held responsible for anything.

There is no escaping aside from the acceptance that there is no way out.  Liberation comes from surrender and embracing all the time you have.  Fear no death because it takes no pleasure in your end.  Fear living afraid of death, as it makes you as good as gone to those who need you here and now.

Live without regrets and die well when you must.

What began as a fanciful whim at the start of the year has grown to be an all-consuming obsession in a month.  It would seem I’ve fallen headlong into a level of personal freedom I haven’t experienced in a very long time.  It was this very freedom which was the catalyst for my plans to finally see more of this beautiful blue and green planet of ours.

My journey of countless miles has begun.  No more self-imposed limits.  Only the liberation of my heart and my mind.

Onward to those long, winding roads and big blue sky.