Words are now being written by me which means that I must be coming home soon. The temptation to burn my ticket back home and take the next flight back to Patagonia was not as strong as my desire to see my family and friends. I must admit that I no longer worry about how I will react to being back in the gringo culture. It is not like I will be deprived of oxygen and my very survival will be at stake. I will answer my own question that I posed earlier in my writings; I am not coming back any different then when I left. I hope that I don’t come back as someone different. Although I may need a little extra space when the burdens of modern life fall upon us all. No, I don’t want to be seen as someone who came back a different person. That only means that I was not myself when I left. If I have learned one thing while on my long walk is that I have always been myself throughout my life. I accept who I am and realize that I wasn’t looking for change but rather acceptance. No need to give me a pat on the back asking me if “does this all seem weird to you?” Actually, please don’t do that.
Wait, maybe there is one thing about me that has changed. Something that most people reading this can relate to. I recognize now that there is a society, any society, can be a jail cell. A person can become so accustomed to what they are familiar with that they can become afraid of the outside world. Foreign countries, no matter how many vacations or business trips you take, will always be foreign; a place you have seen with your own eyes, photographed, and tasted. Those who have been able to step out of the known and into the unknown for long periods of time can only relate to what I am about to say. Home does not exist. Sure we can use a familiar saying such as “Home is where the heart is” but that is what people say who feel like they have a “home”. My heart is the world and the world is my home so no matter where I go, I am at home.
I hope you have enjoyed following me around. Although you know who I am I have never spoken my name, shown my face, or used this as a means to boost my credibility. My intention with this blog was to share my inner thoughts and personality so that you and I could better understand what it is like to be on a journey of this magnitude. For me the journey is not going to end. I have found a ground underneath my feet that connects me to the world and myself to the likes I have never known. I will be back there and hopefully very soon. The Mapuchi Indian word for Mother Nature is Pacha Mama and it is Pacha Mama that I will always search for.
Exitos a todos y una vida pura.
