New Beginnings start with an End

THE END

I came.  I saw.  I fucking conquered!

The year also ended just as it started.

Alone.

It was very different ending than I imagined, but, in a year of unexpected bliss, joy, adventure and hope, being alone is somehow the right and only way that this trek around the world, stepping foot on all seven continents in a single calendar year could and should end.

Likely being the only solo, LGBTQ traveler in the history of the planet to step foot on all 7 continents in a single calendar year doesn’t come with much fanfare.  As I’ve said before, it’ll be a cool asterisk next to my name.

It has been the most remarkable time of my life.  Fortunate, yes.  Lucky…okay, I cave and I’ll give you that too.

The sacrifices have been much. Friendships, relationships, work, income, pets, houses, savings and stability to name just a few.

The rewards: sights, sounds, flavors, people, connections, photography and experiences one could only be lucky enough to experience in an entire lifetime, yet alone a single year.

So there you have it. Lucky.

I don’t know how to stop spinning at this point.  Spinning around the globe has brought me more self-reflection and growth than anything else I have ever done, and that’s a bold statement for a guy that came back out of the closet at 37 years old…

So, what’s next?  A lot. The 2024 calendar is starting to fill in, but not anywhere in the same realm as 2023. There will be two and a half months in Australia and New Zealand, ending with a 31 night sailing from Brisbane to Seattle. I’ll return to Puerto Vallarta to celebrate Pride. A 4th of July visit back to the Upper Peninsula. There is a 18 night voyage from LA to Tokyo, including my second visit to Alaska in 2024.  A Panama Canal cruise where I’ll traverse the entire canal.  Atlantis gay cruise #2 is on the books, before moving onto 2x 12 night sailings to the Caribbean from NYC.

It’s a future that continues to be bright for everyone involved, including myself.

There’s a reference there.  Some of you may catch it and to others it may seem like an unassuming thought like so much else of these posts.  But words have meanings…

There is a quote from Friends that says, “people say that things happen for a reason, I say people happen for a reason.”

Thank you family, friends and followers for your support and encouragement on this journey.

North America. 🦶 ✅

Australia. 🦶 ✅ ✅

Europe. 🦶 ✅ ✅ ✅

Africa. 🦶 ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅

Asia. 🦶 ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅

South America. 🦶 ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅

Antarctica. 🦶 ✅

One year.

Earlier this year, I changed YOLO (you only live once) to YODO: To me, you don’t only live once, you only die once.  You get to live every day.  I have lived the shit out of 2023.  I encourage you to do the same.

Make a vision board of what you want your life to be. Expect the unexpected. Wander quietly, or loudly if you must, but wander. Uncover your dream, then fight to keep the dream alive and the vision clear. You’ll be absolutely amazed at what you are capable of.

There sits a sign the bathroom of the furnished apartment where I am currently living that sums up this year perfectly:

Don’t compare your life to others.

There is no comparison between the sun and the moon.

They shine when it’s their time.

Love you all.  Xoxo 😘

2023 over and out

Cole from Colorado

Shining from all 7 continents.