365 days of loafing like a bum

Yup.  Today is my one year road-iversary.

I wanted to write something all contemplative and meaningful to mark the occasion, but I got nothing.  I've just been chillin' here in Tucson with my grandparents, enjoying two more members of my family with whom I have not spent enough time.  It's interesting how this trip started out with a desire to travel and see the parts of the country that I had never seen, and talk to people from all over, but every time I stopped at a relative's house, it became more about that.  When people ask me what the best thing has been about this trip, sometimes I say something about having time alone to think and discovering my mental and physical limits, but I always end up talking about how great it has been to have extended one on one time with family members.  In families as scattered as both sides of mine are, it can be difficult enough just to get at least half of us together for a family reunion, and when that happens, most of the focus is on large group activities, so there's not a lot of time to have real conversations with people.  I don't know how everyone else feels, but I feel like I grew up so far away from my family, and then spent so much time depressed and lazy, not even trying to form relationships with them, that in a group setting I feel like a bit of an outsider.  This year has been good for my soul in that it has brought me a lot closer to people I probably should never have felt so far from.  It is only natural that even though I am burnt out on the other aspects of travel, I still have a list of people I want to spend time with.  And cook for.

I'm excited about the coming months.