So I went around the world.

A mission. A dream. An escape. An adventure.

It was something I always wanted to do. To prove to myself that I could go, just go and see whatever, where ever. To go in my own time frame with choices made of the moment, no excuses and no complaints. Even in these days of jaded worldwide travelers there is something special about circumnavigating the globe.

Originally, I thought I needed a worthy purpose, a voyage with greater meaning. Maybe I could earn some money. No burning goal presented itself. No sponsors lined up to support my explorations. I went anyway. The journey is the reward, or so it is said. It is.

Making the concept a reality involved taking care of details. The trip would cost more than just expenses, I would have no income. The mortgages, the taxes, the bills of daily life don't disappear, even if you do. Pulling away, I've done that often enough. This time the changes were different, scarier than just moving to another part of the U.S. I didn't know exactly where I was going, only that I was going alone and figuring it out as I went.

I studied three feet worth of glossy and not so glossy tour brochures; the exotic and the mundane. I talked to different tour operators, researched various options by surfing through oceans of web sites. I didn't want it prepackaged, plus, the tours are expensive. For me, part of the learning is figuring it out when I get there. There may be things I miss along the way, but at least I know where and how to buy my bus tickets.

In the end, more than five months of time were carved out for this adventure. I also needed time before leaving to prepare and time on returning to repair. I'm still trying to figure it all out. The experiences have landed in the larger soup of my life.