My days of lounging on exotic beaches without a care in the world are over. It ended quite uneventfully one afternoon when I packed it up after sunbathing on a beach near Naxos Town in early October. Funny to think of that quiet afternoon as the end of my life’s greatest era, when months of sun-soaked recreation helped me become one of the most relaxed people on the planet.

After that, a couple cloudy days on Mykonos wrapped up my tour of the Greek Islands and closed the book on my days of seaside leisure. I’m in Paris now, sporting a brand new backpack-sized wardrobe of cold weather clothes that I picked up in Amsterdam, and preparing for the inevitable re-assimilation into the world of responsibility. While I would be happy to skip town and head straight for the renowned beaches of Brazil, I’ve come to the end of my round-the-world funds and it’s time to face the music.

Honestly, I’ve feared this part of the journey since I first left home in January. How do you go back to a life of daily routines after experiencing the incredible freedoms of living by your own rules for so long? I’ve managed to set myself free, and the thought of returning to a cage of commitments is at times terrifying.

I’m happy to say that for the most part, things have gone relatively smooth and while it feels strange to be back in the swing of big city life, it doesn’t feel bad. I have some big decisions to make this month, and it helps to be out here, far from the home base realities of Southern California.

I’m still a little lost as to what I want to do, where I want to live, and when I want to get there, but I’m putting my faith in the greater plan, letting things happen as they will and (as flaky as it sounds) trusting in the universe. Things always seem to work themselves out when the time is right.

October 27, 2006