For a long, long time my “baby” brother has dreamed about going on a solo adventure via motorcycle through South America.
Today, after more than a year of steady planning and preparation, he leaves on that trip. He took Spanish lessons, medication for Malaria, watched DVDs and read books detailing the trips of those who have gone before him. He’s packing everything from a water purification wand to whatever else the experienced riders have said he’ll need. Is it scary? Sure, but that’s what makes it worth doing. There’s no point in sitting in one’s livingroom dreaming about the adventure of a lifetime until it’s too late to actually have the adventure. This trip is his Everest and I’m so proud of him for starting out on the climb. We’re tracking him via a Spot device – he’ll send up a signal once or twice a day and we can see where he is on an online map. Our Dad, who’s not on the Internet, will put little pins into a map on a wall.
I hope he gets whatever it is his soul is yearning for, from this trip. I hope he has adventures he never imagined. And I hope he comes home with so many stories that he doesn’t know where to start when he tells them. Drive safely, little brother.