Thousands of motorcyclists have ridden the Pan American Highway to The End of the World. I'm one of them.
In 2010-2011, my partner and I made one of the iconic pilgrimages of the overland motorcycling world, riding from Boston to the bottom of South America. We covered 18,000 miles across 13 countries in what was truly the trip of a lifetime.
I've been thinking about it a lot lately because of one very important thing it taught me: things will happen when they happen.
In the United States, we live a fast-paced life of instant gratification. We get annoyed when we have to wait a few minutes for something.
In most of Central and South America, things come at their own pace. Maybe the shop will open an hour late. Maybe you'll get somewhere during afternoon siesta and it'll be closed. Maybe the border official wants an extra bribe today and you'll have to wait until tomorrow when a different official is working to cross. Maybe plans will fall apart and you'll have to do something completely different.
That trip was a master class in dealing with uncertainty, learning patience, living with discomfort, and rolling with change.
It has been 15 years since that trip; the motorcycle lives in my shed now and I haven't ridden in ages. But those lessons are very much top of mind. I am impatient to move forward and participate in fast-paced spaces, rushing through a period of discomfort and change. But am reminding myself that things come at their own pace.
And there is plenty of beauty to enjoy along the way.