We make the journey alone -- together.

I just read an article in "Trail Runner" magazine by a woman who did an amazing "fastpacking" trip around Lake Tahoe last July 4 week - 170 miles in 6 days (!!!) She did it solo but interacted with a few people at key points along the way who helped her (often unknowingly) to keep her spirits up. This was essential for her to be able to keep going and complete her quest.

She was reflecting on this toward the end of the adventure and came up with beautiful thought:
"It would be easy for me to feel very alone, but alone-ness is a myth, I decide. I get it now -- who we are and what we accomplish are really just the sum totals of those we encounter along the way."

To me this sums up the various journeys that everyone here is making, how they are at the same time incredibly personal and yet never something we do alone. It also reminds me how important our interactions are. So let's keep sharing, blogging, teaching, and encouraging one another. With the new year fast approaching I think most of us are looking to set goals of some sort; mine is to be a more active and supportive community member, and to be more open to being taught and encouraged by others. I so look forward to seeing what comes out of this.