Reflections on months well spent

Well, I've kind of been a bum so far today, but it gave me a chance to think. I've been in something of a reflective mood as my trip comes to a close, and I started realizing that I have stuffed a lifetime's worth of incredible experiences into a few short months.

I have cheered for a yokozuna.
I have eaten soup with my hands.
I have improved my chopstick skills...but not by much.
I have learned to say "thank you" in almost a dozen languages.
I have been blessed by wandering holy men.
I have gone swimming in the Nile.
I have talked politics with an ambitious Liberian refugee.
I have seen giraffes shillouetted against Lake Manyara.
I have heard a shofar blow at sunrise on Mt. Sinai.
I have caught glimpses of two endangered species.
I have had my horoscope read by a yogi.
I have paid my respects at the tombs of King David and Jesus.
I have ridden in busses with armed men...and women!
I have surveyed all of Africa spread out before me from the slopes of her highest mountain.
I have been caught up in an international incident.
I have bargained for spices in an ancient market.
I have shuddered in a dungeon meant for slaves, and felt the privilege of walking out again.
I have been in a Bollywood movie.
I have looked into the faces of pharaohs.
I have entered forbidden royal tombs and palaces.
I have visited tribal villages in the hills of Laos.
I have watched the sun set over the Taj Mahal.
I have gotten close enough to wild lions to hear them breathe.
I have eaten sushi fresh out of the ocean...and thanked the chef in Japanese.
I have raced Nubian children down sand dunes.
I have watched Massai herdsmen moving their cattle to new pastures.
I have touched the Western Wall of Solomon's Temple...and been touched by it.
I have lived in villages that didn't have full time electricity.
I have filled my passport's pages with stamps.
And most of all I have learned the sweetness of coming home again.

I can't wait to see everybody! Not long now...