Homer's Travels: A Homer's Travels Look Back At 2017

2017 was the year that I became lost. I returned from my failed Appalachian Trail (AT) attempt not knowing where I was or where I was going. This feeling persisted throughout the year. The AT didn't break me physically but it did break me spiritually. I'd gone out looking for spiritual healing but the inability to keep my promise to G_v just ripped my spirit to shreds. I spent most of this year trying to rebuild.

Let's look back at 2017, shall we:

January: I started a new tradition of posting my best picture of the previous year in the first post of the new year. I changed a few thing on Homer's Travels like moving the travel magnets to their own tab and changing the counter. Among picture posts, some accompanied by little anecdotes, I left a haiku. I caught up on six months of podcasts which felt like a form of time travel. Icy weather and an interesting documentary got me in the minimalist mood resulting in a clean den. Said Icy weather never truly materialized. I slowed down from my post a day practice that I'd been practicing since the beginning of last November. Inauguration day gave me a bloated feeling. I bought a new camera to replace my dead one (the sixth camera I've ever owned). I went to several doctor appointments this month, a common occurrence in January, but this time I ended up getting some minor surgery. The Wife participated in her first protest rally. The month ended with good news about an old blog friend's engagement.
February: I took a step towards the AT and bought my ticket to Georgia. I posted about the winter and rain gear I would be taking on the AT. We went on a winter family outing at Willow Lake. I wished the Wife a happy Valentine's Day. I enjoyed a few hours of secrets. I skipped Trek Up the Tower this year. I started planning my AT meals in earnest including making a pot cozy. I ended the month sick with a stomach/intestinal bug that was just delightful.
March: This month was occupied mostly with preparation for the AT. I didn't post much this month because my anxiety level was pretty high and I was afraid it would come out in the writing.
April: A strange month for me. This month I packed for, I gave reasons and revealed promises for, I started ... and ended my Appalachian Trail adventure. I regretted. I documented. I supported science.
May: I took pictures of a mom-to-be. I acquired my Chromebook. I began filling in my social calendar. I quietly celebrated my sixth caminoversary. I posted several flower pictures before ending with the Amazing Stinko. I observed Memorial day and wished my Mom a Happy Birthday.
June: I started the month with a visit to Britishfest. I went out into the sunshine at the Omaha Summer Arts Festival followed quickly by sand castles in a parking lot. Summer was officially welcomed it with a photograph of an hibiscus. I went to my first college world series game.
July: We celebrated the fourth at lake Cornelia before heading to Minneapolis. This month we celebrated our twentieth wedding anniversary with raccoons. I turned fifty-four. I began moving my pictures from Flickr to Google Photos. I found a strange head.
August: The third clutch of dove eggs hatched (followed by a fourth clutch!). Our kitchen was updated followed by me cleaning the house. I visited Homestead to witness totality. I watched some curling. Most importantly, this month I went for my first hike since walking off the AT but I did not find the spark ... Or the butterflies.
September: A spider caused shivers. I discovered the Dodge Street Subway on my way to five thousand miles. The first day of Autumn was a hot one. I considered what I would be doing if I'd stayed on the AT. I strolled passed a little positivity.
October: I began to drift a little in October. I watched the Harvest Moon. In a reversal, rainy days comforted me. I remembered the anniversary of the end of my second Camino. I watched the latest incarnation of Star Trek. A ghost in the grass wished everyone a happy Halloween.
November: The drifting that started in October continued into November. I signed up for Trek Up the Tower in hopes to get something started in me. I took a cool picture of the Hunter Moon. I watched my fill of the Olympic Curling Team Trials. The Holiday Season started when I put up the tree in our living room. I completed the photo move from Flickr to Google Photos that I'd started in July. I ended the month remembering a friend with poetry.
December: The ornaments went up in our oak tree ... and then some came down. The Christmas cactus bloomed on schedule. Our first snowfall finally arrived on Christmas eve. The month and year ended on a very cold note.
Walking: ... I was going to make this the year of walking. Instead the AT, at least temporarily, killed my desire to walk. I restarted my walking after an one hundred forty day pause but the spark I usually get from walking hasn't returned. In all I walked 381.89 miles this year, less than last year. It ranked fifth place in the last eleven years. A dissapointment.
Biking: This year I road my trainer ninety-one times - a record for me - and I ended up doing 1799.8 miles. All of these miles were on the trainer as I never took my bike out into the real world even when the weather was nice. I just couldn't get myself motivated to actually bike on the trails so I used Netflix to coax me onto the trainer. Better something than nothing.
Books: I hadn't planned to read many books this year but after cutting my AT hike short I set a goal of ten books. I surpassed that goal and read fifteen. This number is still a bit weak I think. Next year I will try to aim higher. I didn't read any five star books this year but, on the good side, the lower rating I gave this year was three stars. I would say that my favorite book of the year was "The Handmaid's Tale". Here are my Goodreads stats for 2017.
Concerts & Shows: After ending my AT prematurely I bought tickets to several concerts to help fill the void. I usually only include music concerts in this list but this year I'll include other events, such as comedy, as well:

The first was Billy Joel who was awesome.
After returning from the AT I lightened my mood with some Jerry Seinfeld.
The summer started with KC and the Sunshine Band.
I really enjoyed a band from my youth: Queen with Adam Lambert.
and some more: Blondie and Garbage.
and another: Sir Paul McCartney.
The year ended with three pieces of funny starting with William Shatner,
followed by John Cleese,
and ending with Ira Glass.

I posted 139 times this year, just four less than last year. This was a lot more than I'd planned on. I'd figured the AT would cut the number of post by quite a bit - probably down to 95 or 100 posts. The fact that I didn't walk the AT and only managed some forty more posts was a bit of a let down.

As the end of the year approaches I am still a bit lost. I've lost both my joy of hiking and my sense of adventure but I think things will get better. Time does heal all wounds but we can't always choose how long it will take. I just need to give it time and to keep moving forward.

Here's to a Happy and Prosperous New Year for all.

May all your dreams come true in 2018.

(or at least, may we all survive 2018.)