Skipping Rocks

There is this rock I have with me right now that would be perfect for skipping on some glassy water. It is one of those cirular, rounded, and flat rocks that seems to fit perfectly into your hand. I have always loved skipping rocks. I can become completely lost in that moment, trying to get the perfect spin, ark, and placement to achieve to most hops possible. I have lots of good memories of skipping rocks. Usually they are just of me and some friends, passing the time, hanging out and tossing some stones. Sometimes it is just me as I ponder the important questions in life, like meaning, purpose, God, love, and what is for lunch. My earliest memory of skipping rocks is with one of my best and oldest friends, Evan, giving me the break down on rock-skipping basics. It was somewhere in Tahoe, the lake or a pond or stream, I don't remember. The location isn't really important. It is more about the company and state of mind.

Being a lone traveler on the road, I have a lot of time to think, and being so far from home, my thoughts usually find there way back there. When I left Asunción, there wasn't going to be anybody else waiting for me on the other end, no friendy faces to take the edge off the new surroundings. Travelling alone in Paraguay is truly traveling alone; alone in language, alone culture, even alone in just being a traveler. There weren't any wandering travelers to talk to on the bus or at the hotel. That leaves a lot of time to think. I think when you are lonely and lost in thoughts, the people and places and memories that come up most are the ones that mean the most to you.

The rock I have with me now I picked up on the central coast in Montaña de Oro on a walk with my dad this last spring. We spent the morning just walking along the coast, and that stretch is beautiful for those who don't know it. It was sometime in the middle of my last quarter of college, with finals and senior project and graduation looming in the distance, but that day it had all faded to the background. That was a good day. The rock is a good reminder of all that I have waiting for me when I get back. Even though I am traveling all around the world, having once in a lifetime adventures, experiencing other cultures, and seeing all the wonders this world has to offer, I still find myself longing to be home from time to time, with the friends and family I love. I am having the time of my life right now, but I look forward to the day when I cross the border back into the States and will be able to see some old friends and dear family. We can catch up on old times, talk about some South American adventures, and maybe, if we are lucky, we can even skip some rocks.