Why this road trip?
It's an obvious question given that I'm almost 3000 miles from home now, but the answers are not as transparent and, actually, are in the midst of being sussed out on this trip. The convenient answer is to say that I wanted to see my beloved Aunt Karen in Maine but wasn't ready to fly, yet. But, to be honest, that isn't the complete answer to the question. I needed to travel solo. I needed space to think, to reflect, to "suss out," all the emotional trauma that this year caused to my heart and soul. I do realize that I am not alone in these feelings and that I am privileged to have the time and resources to take a trip of this magnitude. Five to six years ago, I had begun to question what I believed about certain areas of my life: politics, religion, and relationships, to name a few - basically, almost all the big stuff. And, what informed those beliefs - how in the world did I come to believe "this" was absolute fact, whatever the "this&qu