Surprise(s)!

When I was in university I wrote a lot of papers. And "a lot" may still be an understatement. There were the ones I hated. The ones with such detailed and specific requirements you knew you had to write what a prof. wanted to read. But my favourite ones, and the ones I dreaded the most of all, were the ones with an open-ended topic. Seems easy enough, right? Pick a topic and write about it. Somehow this open-endedness lead me to writing papers about such topics as: A Bottled Water Ban, Heteronormativity and Pop Culture, The Themes In The Films of James Cameron, Reality Television and The Narrative Paradigm, and one I am particularly proud of - a piece of new journalism chronicling online dating.

You can see, even in those few examples they are as diverse as the population of this world itself. Inevitably, days, weeks, months later I would look back and think I should have written about this or that, or something else different. I learnt a lot about many different topics but one lesson that I learnt that seems invaluable and transcends all facets of life is the notion that you can have the greatest idea in the world but if you're unwilling to be flexible it will never work out. Whether you need to change certain parameters or research topics or what be it, sometimes you need to accept the fact that you need to make changes or tweak a certain idea in order for it to be successful.

Almost six months ago I wrote the very first post of this blog. Outlining my idea for what was going to be next in my life. My idea, the next topic - so to say, for my life. And I had to accept and come to terms with the fact about two months ago that I no longer wanted to be in Times Square for New Years Eve - when I do make it there, it won't be with a vehicle and it won't be on a budget. It may not be NYE 2013, but I will make it there. This is just something I know and I have been willing to accept this change in order to make the rest of my "plan" better, or work at all.

On December 23rd, with the help of a few extremely incredible friends, I was able to surprise my family by showing up on their front door step and be home for Christmas - when everyone thought I was in Colorado. That, the reactions, seeing all my friends faces and getting surprised text messages was the best gift I have ever gotten any Christmas. Ten years down the road - that's what I am going to remember.

I know there are many of you out there that literally cringe at peoples' obsession with the sentiment of "new year, new start". But, I say, if that's what people need to justify or inspire making changes in their lives - why not. As 2013 comes to an end I see the lists of the bests, and the worsts, and the most memorable - fill in the blanks. The last five months of my life encompass all of those lists. As I look to the future, the coming weeks when I will decide when I'll be hitting the road again - with eleven states and three provinces left of my list, I couldn't be more grateful for the people that encourage me to keep doing what I'm doing. I couldn't be more grateful that I learnt that lesson, accept the fact that you may need to tweak a certain idea in order for it to be successful.

Whether your idea is travel, relationships, marriage, or a new career, in 2014 just remember, it's okay to make changes, to get stuck, to find a new way to make that idea work, to make it better.

Happy New Year to friends - old and new, family, and anyone that may stumble upon these words. May 2014 be your year to:

"Tell everyone what you want to do and someone will want to help you do it."

- W. Clement Stone

Terry Fox Monument - Thunder Bay, Ont. 

1000 Islands Boat Tour - Ontario

Fredericton, NB

Hopewell Rocks - (outside) Moncton, NB

Anne Of Green Gables House - P.E.I.

St George, ME

Salem, MA 

Fenway Park - Boston, MA

The White House - Washington, D.C.

Gatorland - Kissimmee, FLA 

Disneyworld - Orlando, FLA

Country Music Hall of Fame - Nashville, TN

Johnny Cash Museum - Nashville, TN

St Louis, MO

Graceland - Memphis, TN

Swamp Tour - (outside) New Orleans, LA

Sandra Bullock's House - New Orleans, LA

Moore, OK