The Secret to Loving Long Journeys

I love riding away toward the mystery of the unknown. It’s so exciting! The moment of leaving is the moment when everything becomes possible. The entire world awaits.

But the secret to loving long journeys–day after day, month after month–has nothing to do with dramatic exits. 

To love a long journey is to love the passage of tiny beautiful moments. The way a cloud shapeshifts into sky. The nudge of wind on your cheek. The sound of breath: a perfect rhythm. 

In some ways, the journey itself is gratuitous. What’s important is the permission it gives you to simply be present. To understand that your life, and all of life, is special.

I’ve been home from my last bike trip for about a month now. And although I appreciate hot showers and a bed, I still find myself missing the wild freedom of the open road. 

So a few days ago, I scribbled a note and put it on my bedside table. The note says: “The entire world awaits!!!”

Now when I wake up in the morning, this note reminds me that everything is still possible—every day contains the freedom of the unknown. It gives me permission to appreciate the tiny, beautiful moments of daily life.

I wouldn’t have thought this would actually work, but somehow it does!

It may also help that on the BACK of the note I drew a friendly monster who will eat my toes off if I don’t get out of bed on time. (Sometimes you need a carrot, sometimes you need a stick.)

What note will you write to your tomorrow’s self? 

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