Photo: “2023 Album Cover: Relaxation and Reflection”. Personalized cover created by YouTubeMusic based on music preferences. (December 2023)

It is New Year’s Eve, a couple of hours before 2024 and I am perusing my college store catalogue searching for any new merchandise showcasing the school’s logo. A few pages of scrolling down the accessories section, I see an image of a cute little rabbit wearing a mini pet bandana in school colors with the college name on the side. “Oh, I wish I had a pet rabbit so it could wear that bandana!” I spoke aloud in my room. A few hours later the search terms “Robot Rabbit” will be one of the final searches of 2023 before the new year.

So how was everyone’s year?
Did you set out goals you made out for yourself?
Or are you in a very similar place as you were last year around this time?

2023 was a year of personal growth for me wherein I spent thirty-three days between the last two months of the year traveling across the United States from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, back and forth, completely solo (while in transit), on a series of one-way tickets. I broke the cardinal sin of not talking to strangers and I had strange individuals talk to me.

Overall, it was a quick look into the lives of humans wanting to live their daily lives. I saw so many beautiful humans in various cities from the ones who played Motown to pass the time from 10PM to 2AM; to the hardworking manager who treated people going through a rough patch like royalty because they were far from home; to every familiar greeting from a gas station attendant to a bus driver like they were seeing an old friend. The best of humanity and customer service lurks in the most unexpected places.

The most important lesson learned from thirty-three days on the road: 1) Always carry a personal stash of toilet paper when traveling, a trick I learned many years ago while traveling abroad. In other words, always be prepared in times of unpredictability.


Happy New Year 2024, Ducks!

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