Many of you have asked if I’ll continue to blog. At this point, yes I will for about a month or so as the transition after taking a journey like this occurs. I hope to post final statistics, my favorite quotes from the trip and update the Photo Gallery soon enough. And, donations are still coming in! We are getting closer! My blog will eventually transfer to work mode at www.cairnguidance.com but with a focus on school health.
If you didn’t get a chance to read about the last day of Road to Rhode, scroll down to the post below this one!
Another gorgeous morning sitting on the dock on the pond at my family’s beach cottage. As my mom said yesterday, ‘The pond looks like diamonds from the sun reflecting off the water’. There are subtle signs of fall, but the temperature is warm enough to sweat during a 7am run and go to the beach midday and swim in the delightfully warm ocean.
It’s been five days since I completed a dream come true and many people have asked how I feel. No post-partum here! I’m relieved and enjoying the time relaxing, taking naps, eating a lot of fruits and vegetables (!), spending time with Mom and Dad, bailing out the boat from the rains we had early this week, going on short jogs, catching up with people, answering emails, opening my mail that accumulated over the 3 months, writing thank you post cards to donors and people who hosted me, signing work contracts (thank goodness!) and processing what exactly I did. It’s nice to go out running each morning listening to the same songs I listened to on one particular Road to Rhode mix my brother made me and NOT be cycling. It hit me that I actually completed what I did in the middle of my run yesterday when a particular song came on and I thought, “I’m not biking anymore! I did it!”
I’ve also spent the last few days reading cards that people mailed here, and notes attached to flower arrangements. I got a few packages sent to me, including one from my friend Brian in Portland who put together a CD of photos from all of my blog entries and used music from that blog post when I listed the music that was inspiring me. Before my brother and Cassia left, we all sat and watched the video. It was awesome. So much time was put into it. Thank you Brian (and his son Adam!). I also received an incredibly thoughtful package from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation (AHG) that had a few goodies in it, but most importantly had notes and letters and cards from many AHG staff from all over the country. I had an opportunity to read through these a few times and I just want to say to everyone who wrote me, “You are welcome! My pleasure for supporting the work YOU all do!” The box was beautifully packaged with ribbons and wrapped gifts and the fancy shoebox decorated thoughtfully with the Road to Rhode title on top. A great box to hold many of these cards and notes. It’s also a great spot to store the artifacts I collected along the way or given to me by others. Including my charm bracelet, a few other charms and beads given to me after I put the bracelet together, drawings by children, pebbles shaped as hearts, letters given to me before I left that I took with me, and other random artifacts that brought positive energy, support, light and protection to my journey. It’s basically my box of love and support now!
It’s time to bring in the Jewish New Year and spend more time with my Mom and Dad today. If last year was about being bold and courageous, what should this year be?
