Closing Out 2016 with a Helping of Gratitude

I've learned over the years that making too big of a fuss over the yearly transition that occurs on New Year's Eve and making radical changes entering the next year with broad overarching resolutions is not the best way for me to manage my life.  That said, it's clear that there's value in using this time to reflect on how the last three hundred and sixty five days have unfolded, and how those days have shaped my life.

The Beginning of the End of 2016 - New Years Eve Sunrise - Severna Park, MD

As I reflect on the last year, I find myself contemplating with gratitude the growth, adventure, and opportunities that have presented themselves during the last twelve months.  First and foremost, I'm grateful for life.  Every morning that I wake up indicates to me that the universe is not quite done with me yet. That may sound a bit dramatic, but every night about one million people go to bed and don't wake up the next morning. We live on a little blue rock hurtling through the vacuum of space, protected by a thin veneer of nitrogen, oxygen, and other gasses, and it's far to easy for the great powers that govern our universe to snuff out an individual.  I don't think getting another day, for anyone, is an accident or a coincidence. I've led a life of great wealth with a dash of challenge and adventure thrown in, and I'm grateful for it.  This year was not my best walking year, but I was given the opportunity to cover over 1,300 miles on foot and the benefits I've gotten from that alone have been breathtaking.

Fellow Sunchasers - Severn River - Annapolis, MD

I am grateful for my family and friends who have proven to be a wellspring of support during m journey through the preceding fifty two weeks. They put up with my pedestrian antics, and they help keep me (mostly) grounded. Rory Conlan has been a true partner and fellow traveller, and though he keeps his presence brief on this blog, I can assure you that as of about an hour ago he was still among the living.

Sunset Sentinels - Quiet Waters Park - Annapolis, MD

I am grateful for good books that I've read because they've given me dreams to chase and opened my mind to opportunities that I'd never imagined. The book that most shaped my life during the past year was Everything That Remains by Joshua Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. These guys write about there experiences in minimalism, but for me their common sense philosophy has enabled not only a better and more sustainable physical existence but pointed down and intellectual and emotional path that is less cluttered and more focused. This has opened me up to some a more spiritual existence and promises more progress in the coming year as well.

There's an endless number of other things to be grateful for, but I'll end the more detailed descriptions here. Suffice it to say that I've lived a rich and adventurous existence during 2016, and while I don't know what tomorrow (much less the whole of 2017) will hold, I'm looking forward with excitement to the opportunities that remain to be unveiled.

If things work out as planned, the detailed planning and preparations for the N2N-TCP will start ramping up in earnest over the next three hundred sixty five days, one day at a time of course, and I'm looking forward to that journey with eager anticipation.