Four of Staffs

I made it!!! :)

By the time I reached the village, my legs were tired, my clothes were dusty, and I could feel every mile I had walked. I dropped my pack where I was staying, washed the dust from my face, and went back outside because I was far too excited to sit alone in my room.

I found a small place where people had gathered for the evening and ordered something to drink. I sat there looking out at the mountains, still slightly amazed that the place I had been imagining was now the place beneath my feet.

I wanted to celebrate everything. The climb. The aching legs. The moments when I wondered how much farther I had to go. Even the wrong turn I had made earlier seemed funny now.

Tonight, I let myself enjoy this small triumph: eating, drinking, and having wonderful conversations with fellow travelers I met. I laughed more easily than I had in days. There was nowhere I needed to walk tonight and nothing I needed to complete before morning.

I had arrived. And it felt wonderful.