Cycles

I love endings.
And beginnings. You can't have one without the other. I love the cyclical nature of life: circles, connections, 'what goes around, comes around', karma, life cycles, the water cycle, the seasons, tides, the phases of the moon, the menstrual cycle. Nothing stops, and everything changes, is continuous and dynamic; like flowing water, it can't be controlled but must be worked with rather than against.
Another chapter comes to an end, but I am excited to start a new one. Some storylines will continue, others will conclude when the time is right. We are the authors of our own novels, and I have plenty of plot ideas for the the next chapter. It will surely be full of more adventures, new places, familiar faces, and lots of twists and turns to keep things interesting. What happens in between will be the stuff of life, the small things that make living sooo good, our everyday routines that I personally need to learn to relish and cherish: Making dinner, the sound of the creek nearby, time to think, sleeping, talking with a friend, keeping in touch, learning something new, healthy food, pure water, and lots of love. And not taking any of it for granted.
We leave Ecuador this evening, with the excitement of knowing we are going home. The place that even the most nomadic of souls gravitate toward when it is time. Time for one circle to close, one more chapter to end, and another to begin.
See you in the states!


Photos, top to bottom: Ferns; Andy and the Rio Estancia; Andy and friends on Cispus River, Washington State