Day 355- "To Venture is to Risk Death"

Arthur's Pass to Greymouth, NZ- Sunday, December 16th

"To venture is to risk death.
Not to venture is to have died already."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

(on the T-shirt of the Global Village Backpackers Hostel, Greymouth, NZ)

In the last 36 hours there have been lots of times to contemplate what we have done over the year, the friends we have made, and the challenges we have overcome. The task of packing up was monumental, and I have to publically acknowledge that Colleen did most of it, since I was preoccupied with school end-of-year tasks, functions and responsibilities. We made it though.
There were many teary goodbyes. The kids have so many friends that they left behind. So did we. Work colleagues and friends from walking and book clubs.
But this experience has been wonderful and challenging and rewarding despite the end being bittersweet. I listened to Diana Krall sing Joni Mitchell's famous "A Case of You" while the others slept on the plane. I am glad they were asleep 'cause my eyes welled up with the famous line, "I drew a map of Canada, Oh! Canada..." It was then that I realised that we weren't on another Aussie cross country plane tour, but on our way home. And leaving did, as Diana Krall sang, "taste so bitter but you taste so sweet..."


So here we are on the South Island in the heavy rain, but enjoying every moment. It's giving us time to think, reflect, and unwind, and get some sleep.

Monday, I will go fly-fishing in this famed haunts of the brown trout and lose myself in the pursuit of a big one. But as I am not there for the fish, but rather for the fishing, I will enjoy myself anyway.