Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Exiting the U.S.A.
Last night, probably like most people who are about to embark on a big adventure, I woke up at 2:30am. I was wide awake.
Likely a combination of adrenaline, hearing something fall off my towering pile of things to finish packing, and the call of the adventure itself. Instead of getting anxious about the mounting sleep debt I acquired throughout this week, I just rolled out of bed. I grabbed The Art of Pilgrimage and I held the stair rail in the dark as I made my way down to the couch. It was still warm in the house, no need for the blanket, so I laid down with the book and my phone’s flashlight to read. It turns out, that is exactly what I needed to get in the right mindset.
I happened to be in the section called Departure.
Allow me just one or two or a hundred quotes …
Thoreau said from his journey at Walden Pond, “let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand … simplify, simplify, simplify.”
Phil Cousineau, author of the book, says, “Ask yourself what your gratitudes will be before you leave. Keep one pocket in your satchel just for these.”
On considering the way of faith, Huston Smith “finds four aspects of pilgrimage: singleness of purpose; freedom from distraction; ordeal or penance; and offering.”
And then I fell back to sleep for an hour or so and woke up to my alarm at 6am.
It is time to start the journey. The day is finally here. This journey began several years ago with the wild dream to travel for a year with our kids. And as the time grew closer to feeling right, it became 100 days away from home. The kids transferred to an online school for one semester; our dog was eagerly accepted by friends and family; a new family rents our home for the time being; and we decided to plan for work sabbaticals to cover this sacred season.
I tucked a few pocket crosses, a couple of necklaces, and a few other items we can give to those we meet to show our gratitude and hospitality. In the midst of cultural and language differences, I think we will connect on a soul-level, something we want to mine and collect like bits of gold found in a stream. We will bring the mountains, an adventurous spirit, and a constant love of seeking wonder in the moment. We hope to find a taste of farming, family business, thermal springs, coastal views, food with real ingredients, and a long and deep history of the world.
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