April 14, 4 months to lift-off

As the days fly by, the To-Do list grows, the To-Get list dwindles and I find myself unable to think of anything besides hitting the road. I oscilate between elation, anticipation, and worry.

I lay in bed at night wondering: will rolling our sleeping mats together save space? Or, how many spices can I justify bringing? Should we buy curry and shampoo in bulk and then parcel out small amounts and make supply boxes and send them to friends around the country so we can pick them up later? No, probably better to just get it wherever we are, right? But then, shampoo bottles are pretty big and heavy. But there are travel sizes. But my hair is really long, I'll use it up in one wash. Should I cut my hair?

Haha. Oh, boy....this will be an adventure and that's the only sure thing, and that's exactly what I want. 

I'm so excited to dedicate myself to the challenge, but can I handle it? Until now, I haven't even questioned that. Of course I can. We can slow down or speed-up, take breaks, stay with friends--its not a race, we're doing this to have fun. The hard days will come for sure though; in the middle of A Rainstorm, in the middle of Nowhere, in the middle of An Argument--fun can seem a distant ideal, and I just hope I will have the wisdom and strength to put everything in perspective when those moments come. 

For now though, I will focus on removing the decals from my bike so that its beautiful and pitch-black. I will focus on finding warm stuff to wear. I will focus on getting my body into tip-top health and shape. Sigh....