Last year taught me that there is more to New Year’s Eve and other holidays than stuffing my face full of food and washing it all down with booze. I no longer follow others to gaze at a TV and watch as others enjoy themselves. I have started a new trend of traveling, reading, photography, cycling, playing with my dogs, and finding new and interesting ways to entertain ourselves; and I am loving this trend.

I love the sun and would stare at it for hours if my retina and camera lens would allow it. Yesterday we went for a morning run, took the dogs to the park in the afternoon, and rode our bikes in the evening. I brought my camera to watch the sunset when we realized we don’t have a good spot to watch. We played three games of bowling on base; all of which I lost. We visited some of the guys that were stuck at work and then made our way home. I would read for a while before calling it a night.

This morning came early, but almost not early enough. When I get excited about things I have trouble sleeping; that and Sparky likes talking back to fireworks. A 6:00am wake-up call should have us on the beach early enough. We get there at 6:50am just as the sky begins to get more colors than blue showing over the horizon. We get to see birds, squirrels, and one raccoon in their early morning routine. There are plenty of birds fishing, some dolphins playing, and one man runs by.

When asked what I would do with a million dollars; I would put it in a (few) high-interest savings accounts and become a nomad. I would see the sun from every elevation, from every earth style (woods, plains, desert, beach), and from every natural and man-made monument. I would look forward to experiencing this feeling every day. I love exploring the unknown and though I may not get to every corner of the globe this year I hope to get closer to the corners of my mind and the edge of my bodies limits.

I plan on pushing harder, running farther, riding slower, loving longer, photographing better, reading more, and continuing to learn more about myself to better help those around me. I want to progress out of the media norm, learn more about where people come from and where I’m headed. This life is a journey we all must take, no matter how many steps we’ve all been given, to the same destination. May I take a few more of my steps with others as we travel up and down this path together.