Just relax and breathe. I want to chat with you about my trek and tell you how I feel.

A little over a year ago, I had a great day. I was driving through Florida with my windows rolled down. I had just discovered The Odyssey. I remember imagining a very bright future for all of us. I felt hopeful.

Now I am sitting here in San Francisco trying to think about what the Trek means to me. It is harder than you may think.

In the past four months, the trekkers reached the four corners of the contiguous (connected or touching, meaning all of the states except Alaska and Hawaii) U.S. We slid off of icy Colorado highways and had to sleep in snow banks. We fell off of mountains and almost landed in rivers. We saw alligator wrestling. We slept with flying cockroaches. We were surrounded by police at the Vice President's house.

Throughout it all we met people who created revolutions (a big change or movement) in our world. Mike Smith began the largest community art project in the world. Robert Egger opened a food rescue at the D.C. central kitchen. Dolores Huerta was a single mother of eleven who put all of her children through college. She started a revolution amongst Mexican migrant workers. Roger and Steve are a gay couple who adopted a child named Lucas. That made people change the way they think about families. Elisabeth Eckford stood up to fight for desegregation (letting black and white children go to school together).

These people seem to stand out, but they are just normal, everyday people who did outstanding things. Revolutions do not just happen because of one person. They begin with people like you and me who speak out about what they think.

Breathe deep the air of the wild

You too can be a revolutionary (someone who makes things change) in the way you live your life. Listen to people and let their stories touch you. Let other people's lives be touched by yours.

How do you do that? For starters, read my first words again -- just relax and breathe.

Stephen