Free again

"To leave Dunedin felt strange, both freeing and sad. I felt melancholy that what I came to do failed. To say goodbyes to the good friends I have made there. But I also felt so free to hit the road chasing after the unknown promise of possibility again. The mix of emotions - nostalgia, reflection, confusion and excited optimism - made me feel so tired. It was only then that I realized the burden I've been carrying around with me this whole time. Suddenly it was gone and I was free.

I camped off the road beside Lake Hawea that night. I met a young couple from Slovenia and toasted to the mountains with a celebratory beer. And later I laid my blanket down in the tall grass above the lake and bundled up for bed staring up at the stars. I woke in the morning covered in wet dew. "