Just Over a Month In And…
February 7th 2021 we officially left our cozy, comfortable and familiar environment in Sycamore, Il. We left not necessarily in search or escape of anything in particular. I feel that may or may not be a common question to you the reader, wondering “what are you running away from?”. For me, leaving everything I’ve ever known and the town and environment I grew up in it wasn’t a matter of what am I trying to escape rather what am I looking to experience?
When we listed our home for sale in mid December 2020 our thought process was that we had experienced everything we had intended to in our almost 6 years there. We planned and prepped for our wedding in that home, we hosted friends, family and had created so many wonderful memories. We renovated and made it everything we wanted. We love(d) our home and came to a place where we were ready for the next chapter.
So when we put the sign in the yard and 1 hour later we had a verbal agreement on the sale it was very clear we were making the right decision. How often have you done that in your life? You know, listen to your gut and intuition?
I’m not talking about that voice in your head that try’s to be logical and make decisions based on “what is smart” and “realistic” but the feeling in your heart and chest that when you ignore it you feel a sense of inner tension and tightness that you don’t quite understand. You will know it if you pay attention to it. If you tap into listening to it on a regular basis. If you ask yourself in any given moment “what am I feeling right now?”
And then really listen. You will feel it.
This was part of the reason we didn’t rent our house and travel and then return home. We knew in embarking on this journey that we likely weren’t going to be living in Illinois after this part of our life is finished. We would find somewhere else or maybe more appropriately stated it would present itself to us.
Have you ever asked yourself “where would I live and what would I do if there were no expectations of me and who I was?”
Loaded question I know but does it not demand some attention or consideration? What if your family didn’t live down the street? what if your job didn’t demand you come into work everyday or you had summer softball league?
These are all things I asked myself. Memento Mori is a latin phrase that when translated essentially means “you could die tomorrow”. We all intuitively know this, but how often does this guide our decision? It isn’t until many are faced with death or people sit in their death bed and question the choices made in their life and ponder regrets. I didn’t want to be late in life before I got there. The truth is I have every reason to stay home where I grew up where it is comfortable and familiar. Most of my family lives within driving distance of where I grew up. My friends are all there and are the most important people in my life. The combo are everything to me. My mom is my best friend and the truth is I don’t know how much longer I will get to pick up the phone and call and hear her voice. And it is for those reasons I knew I had to do this. It is because I am reminded everyday that life is short and you only have the moment right in front of you. It is because tomorrow isn’t promised to me that I became convinced that taking control and creating the life I wanted and not the life that was easy and convenient was more important to me than anything else. I don’t want to have regrets in my life. As I write this I am sitting in front of a fire with my wife and two dogs in our cabin in Show Low, Arizona. As I look out over the sunset I am reminded that the day is going to end and that tomorrow is the greatest gift I can imagine.
These first 30 plus days of travel have taught me a lot. It has taught me that giving up on how things are supposed to unfold is an important part of the process. Like being in a once in a lifetime snow storm and power outage in Austin, Texas. It has taught me that surrendering to everything that is unfolding in front of me on a moment to moment and day to day basis can bring about more piece of mind than you can imagine. What if we all went in to our day with the mindset that everything that presented itself to you that day was exactly what was supposed to be happening for you to learn the lessons you are supposed to in your life? No good, no bad. Just lessons for you to grow and evolve from.
And so that is what this adventure is about. Not running away or even seeing the world. It is about growing and evolving. Surrendering to what life has to offer and teach us. Being outside the familiar day to day life and consciously creating a life. I life I can thrive in.
With all that said I could have stayed home and been happy. I don’t have to be doing any of this. But it lends to the most important goals of my life and that is the evolution and growth of myself. The evolution and growth of my family and friends and the relationships I have with all of them.
Life is short. We all know this, and if you are spending a single second doing anything other than what you want to or feel pulled to doing ask yourself why?
Remember, there is no right or wrong. Stay home, go away. Be you but always be the best you.
In the end it is your life and nobody can tell you you’re doing it wrong.
