This will be my last entry. What an incredible, difficult, privileged, and fulfilling year it’s been! The imprint it’s left on my children is priceless beyond measure, and I am so glad we did this. I have some new projects and interests that I’m excited about, too, so in a sense this is as much a beginning as an end.

I can’t say what the transition back to Seattle will be like, except that that it’s already proving to be surprising and challenging in its own way. I return a bit as a square peg to a round hole. Only time will tell how much this place will bring me back into alignment with what once was, and how much new spaces and adventures will better nurture the person I’ve become. Either way, the process has been growth, and I am ever so grateful for it. It’s been nothing like what I expected and everything I hoped for.

The wisdom of travellers before me suggests that, as with any significant journey, not many are likely to deeply relate to (much less understand) what has transpired for any of us this year. Which is just as well, for I am a far more private person than I used to be. I rather like who I am; no explanations are needed.

But as the theme for our year was “learning and growing as we go”, I’ll leave my children, my future self, and whomever might take an interest with a few pithy lessons from our travels. Some were new to me this year, while others reflect old wisdom that has only nested ever more closely to my heart.

> Hakuna matata. Life is uncertain. Stay present with what’s in front of you, not with how you wish things ought to be.

> Many so-called problems are simply exhaustion or hunger masquerading as an opportunity to overthink things.

> Lions like to pee on safari trucks.

> Pole pole. Slow down, be mindful, look for the good, and take time to be grateful for what is.

> Very little of what anyone does is about you.

> Always choose curiosity and lean in with compassion.

> Humans figured shit out thousands of years ago that we’re constantly rediscovering and learning… often with difficulty.

> I can’t save anyone from themselves. No one can save me from myself. We can only help each other, where help is welcomed.

> Choose wisely the habits and people you surround yourself with, for you will begin to resemble them.

> The pinnacle of civilization may well be a well-stocked, refrigerated supermarket.

> Love without expectation or not at all.

> To uncover blind spots, get out of your echo chamber. Travel, talk to people unlike yourself, entertain ideas you don’t agree with.

> To forgive is a gift you give to yourself.

> Entrepreneurship is alive and vibrant in every corner of the world.

> Power corrupts, and no country, creed, gender, race, or class I’ve seen is exempt. Some powers shit less than others, but they all shit downhill.

> Facebook sucks, for so many reasons. Unplug. Look people in the eye. Ask them how they’re doing. Practice nisken.

> Give fewer fucks. You’ll be able to show up better for the ones that you keep.

> Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. –John Watson

> Men come and go, but the Earth abides. –George R. Stewart

> Do not attempt to unplug a toilet with a brush. It will not end well.

Thank you, dear reader, for taking an interest in our journey this year. I hope to hear of your adventures, wherever, whenever, and however they may take you.