Reflections From Home

I have now been to all 50 states and I am only 25. I am extremely excited and happy yet it presents a few dilemmas to myself. One of which is that I now have little lust left for United States travel. I imagine that it is a lifelong goal of many people to have visited all 50. Each state you reach is exciting knowing you are nearing 50. Now that I have them all under my belt a little excitement is gone. This also could be due to the fact I just finished a year long road trip and am tired.

Another other dilemma presents itself when speaking to others. Especially when the other person is older. They assume I have not been to a location and proceed to tell me about it. I do not want to be rude or come across as a know it all, so I listen. Then, if I reveal I have been there they seem embarrassed to have just told me about a location I have seen. I’m not yet sure how to handle these situations. With more time I think I can come to terms with this uncomfortable situation, which may just be in my head.

The third dilemma is not so much of a dilemma as it is something that makes me a little sad. I did not do part of the road trip as I had intended and therefore missed out on Southwestern Arizona, Nevada, and the Eastern part of California. The parts I missed I can always go back to in the future, and I have been to Nevada. However, it still feels funny not to have gone to Nevada during the road trip. Oh well. It’s not like I went to Hawaii or Alaska on this road trip either.

Now don’t get me wrong. I am thrilled to have done the road trip and visited all fifty states. There are still many things in the U.S I would like to see and do. It just wasn’t possible to do it all, and some things I did not want to do alone. Along the way I kept a list entitled, Next Time. I look forward to visiting and experiencing the things on that list. For now, I am content on being done with the road trip and look forward to a vacation where I can lie on the beach, read, and make no decisions.