THE FINAL TALLY: 47 DAYS AND 2300 MILES

It's been a long time since I've been able to work on my blog. Ever since I finished my ride, I have been busy moving around and seeing as much as I can with the time and money I have left. I've also been unable to sum everything up so to speak even though I've had some time to reflect about my trip thus far. I could probably write a book about the whole experience and all the emotions that come and go whenever I think of my cycling adventure.

A lot of people have asked me the same simple question that I have been unable to answer truthfully and that is, how do you feel now that it is all over?. There is no one emotion to describe how I feel now...but if I were to choose one word I guess it would be bittersweet. I had such a great time, met so many great people, and was fortunate enough to do what I love for two months straight. The feeling you get while traveling is incomparable to any other feeling in the world, and the travel bug is real and here to stay. On the flip side, now that my journey has come to an end it is time for me to confront the realities of life that I had so conveniently put on pause prior to my escape.

I also worry about falling back onto the same treadmill that I was on back home prior to me leaving for Japan. It's so easy to lose focus and fall into a complacent pattern of everyday life where you're just getting by. Maybe I'm being naïve, but I don't want to just get by...I want to keep growing as a person by constantly challenging myself with new goals. I will never be satisfied, that is just how I am...I always want to get better. In order for this to happen, I know I will have to shift my attitude and work on self discipline...the only person stopping me from achieving anything is myself. This is something that I believe now more than anything.

When I started this trip, I thought I would come out from the other end of the tunnel a changed man; a man who was going to have his career choice finalized upon his return and his life compass dialed in with all the nagging questions I couldn't answer before filled in completely like a multiple choice answer sheet. If it were only that easy...now that I've slowly crawled out the real tunnel and peaked towards the horizon ahead of me, there are more questions to be answered than I had before. And I guess that is all right. Life can't be meticulously built to fit and suit your needs. There will always be something missing, and there will always be something worth looking for.

It's so cliché to say this, but I am going to say it anyway...I still remember after reaching the cape I was riding towards Wakkanai and during that ride, I was asking myself if I feel any different now that it is over? Where was that answer to the meaning of my existence and my purpose? How come it didn't fall into my lap yet? As I was thinking about all of this, I was looking out at the beautiful blue ocean in front of me and thought to myself how beautiful the scenery was. It was then that I realized that instead of trying to answer something unanswerable, I should really just enjoy the moment. Enjoy every second of everyday. Everything else is relative. So perhaps my final conclusion and final answer of the trip is this:

How do you feel now that it is all over?

Blessed, and I'm just enjoying the moment while it lasts.

Everything else is relative my friend.

THE END.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS SUPPORTED ME THROUGH THIS JOURNEY.

I AM TRULY BLESSED.