August 7 (Tuesday)

Back in Seattle and it feels great. Sixty-six days turned out to be a nearly perfect amount of time to be away. I know it's going to take me a while to get used to being home - so far my bag is only halfway unpacked and I haven't even touched the stack of mail that Mom handed over to me. Once I get settled back in, I'll need to start looking for work again - something which I'm both looking forward to and dreading.

But for now I am happy and satisfied for having completed such a fantastic journey. I don't think I can point to one place or experience and say that it was the highlight of the trip. Rather, the highlight was doing the whole thing. I know that in these days of fast jet flights that go everywhere, it's not all that big of a deal to circumnavigate the globe. Certainly my trip is nothing in comparison with those of the early seafarers of the 15th and 16th centuries. But it still feels like such a wonderful accomplishment and has given me a feeling of self-confidence and connectedness with all of humanity, which I hadn't expected.

As through much of my trip, my overwhelming feeling is one of gratitude. What a rich blessing this has been!