"The east and the west are mine, the north and the south are mine"

Song of the Open Road

BY WALT WHITMAN

From this hour I ordain myself loos’d of limits and imaginary lines, 

Going where I list, my own master total and absolute, 

Listening to others, considering well what they say, 

Pausing, searching, receiving, contemplating, 

Gently, but with undeniable will, divesting myself of the holds that would hold me. 

I inhale great draughts of space, 

The east and the west are mine, and the north and the south are mine. 

I am larger, better than I thought, 

I did not know I held so much goodness. 

All seems beautiful to me

Soon I will start our year of travel and as the one line says from the wonderful epic poem by Walt Whitman, "The east and the west are mine, and the north and the south are mine." 

Down south calls first. 

Our three months in Australia and New Zealand. 

I am divesting myself of the holds that would hold me, saying farewells, completing my work commitments, arranging my affairs, preparing to lock up and go.