$1,322 plus taxes and fees

...is the amount I just paid Zoe's mom Mary, my travel agent, for my plane ticket. I had waffled back and forth about departure dates and return dates, round-the-world vs. segment by segment, which itinerary was being paid for by AJWS and which itinerary I am paying out of pocket, and finally now that it is the 7th of the month of Tishrei (a good omen when it comes to new beginnings, for me at least) I decided to stop playing Russian roulette with airfares, I decided to accept the fact that the price might come down between now and then as it often does, I decided that for my own certainty of spirit and sanity of mind it was time to buy my ticket.

And of course, money is very relative: the amount I spent this morning in one phone call to Third Millenium Travel (ask for Mary) is only slightly more than a dear girlfriend of mine who will remain nameless recently spent on special occasion lingerie, is just a few hundred dollars less than my brother Nathan and sister-in-teeth Kelli spent a few months ago on a new shed for their backyard in Burlington, Iowa. We all use our resources differently. As Rebecca pointed out, this will likely be my greatest single expense for the entire year. That does not, however, change the fractional amount of my total budget that this amount of money represents...but as our friends who live in Meah She'arim say, "G-d will provide." So that's that. On October 3rd I am leaving the Bay Area for Mark and Rebecca's wedding in New Hampshire, on October 9th I am leaving the States and I will not be back for a very long time.

I just keep thinking of Zack and the fact that if he could do it, I can do it. I'm not sure I've ever really told him how integral his stories and pictures, how instrumental his email and blog was in showing me that this kind of traveling really is possible. I hope you're not too tired, my Aussie friend--I've been channeling you a lot lately and not just in the travel medicine clinic. Thank you for all you've taught me, travel-related and otherwise, about the wild and precious potential of this life.