Ironic, really – it took traveling to Toronto to discover an American original.
 

Courage: it is an aspect of character with many facets.  It can be courageous to speak out; it can be courageous to stay silent. It can show courage to move forward. At other times and circumstances, and for the same person, it can take more courage to stay in one place. It can take courage to reflect; it can be equally courageous to act quickly. Courage, along with its companion integriy, may also be touchstones which help guide choices such as those. 

At 26, I never thought I’d have a breakdown, but I did. A combo of heartbreak and being overworked did the trick. The two happened so quickly and simultaneously it felt like I was pushed off a speeding bike, or like the rug had been swept from under my feet, leaving me to fall nowhere. Everything was exhausting, and the motions were just being done, life wasn’t being lived; I felt like a zombie. Not even weekends could refresh me.

June. The month where school kids get antsy, educators are doing their best to get it all in, parents are getting stuff ready for camp, and many are planning adventures near and far. It’s a change of season, the shedding of layers, an infusion of vitamin D, and a time when one door closes and another opens. Teachers in the United States are either counting the days or already out enjoying some well-deserved time away from school.

The journey back home from a road trip is different than the journey to somewhere else. On the way back, I know that I am returning to reality. This fatigued schlep changes to enthusiasm, however, when I see that I am close to home. Suddenly I am filled with gratitude for things I once took for granted. At that point, everything becomes beautiful and new.
I had driven 1,227.2 miles from Utah to Minnesota and for a moment I thought I had finished, but then I realized that soon I would need to find my way back home. My challenge then became to notice new things on a familiar path.