WanderingWhy…

No, not the end of a jail sentence or probation period at work. We have officially been traveling for 90 days as of today. I haven’t had a break like this since summer vacations as a kid.

My friend Andy from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu sent me an email yesterday with an interesting question:

I can’t believe you’ve already been gone for 89 days. That is insane…I love it. Are you finding yourself drawn back to the comforts and routine of the U.S. or are you finding yourself wanting something different?

It’s not something I’ve thought much about as each day is actually pretty busy believe it or not. I’m glad someone posed an introspective question since long term travel really is internal as well as geographical. It’s important to stop and think about where you are, what you’re doing and how you feel about all of it. Thanks for the reminder.

The short and maybe somewhat humorous answer is “Today I am flying to the Galapagos–No, I don’t miss the U.S.”

To answer the question a little more seriously, at the beginning of this trip I felt we still sort of had “responsibilities” believe it or not. We had obligations to meet up with some friends in certain places at certain times. Oh tough, I know. But now I feel like we really have everything out in front of us–we can really go wherever we want whenever we want to and not have to answer to anyone. It’s exciting (and almost scary) to realize we have that kind of freedom available to us (at least for a time).

I miss the U.S. and I don’t.

I love where we live. I love spending time with family and friends. I miss jiu jitsu training and regular exercise tremendously. I miss UFC get togethers with friends. I miss throwing paper in the toilet instead of a trash can. I miss hot water. I miss being able to brush my teeth with water from the faucet. I miss my big comfortable bed. I miss walking down the hall to jump on a stable high-speed internet connection.

But I’m not ready to come home. No way.

I don’t miss routine. I don’t miss TV–not in the least. I don’t miss traffic. I don’t miss all my adult responsibilities. I don’t miss the overwhelming media onslaught to buy things or listening to the fear mongering about the big bad world on the news.

The second part of the question I think is asking if I want to live elsewhere… or at least live differently. I don’t think I have been traveling long enough yet to have found an answer. I’ve seen places that are beautiful and think “Wow, imagine living here!?” but no, it’s never felt so strong that I feel it’s something I must do. I have seen things I would like to adopt for my own life–mostly simplicity. I’m past the stage of wanting more stuff–If anything, it’s time to strip away the excess. I’d like to trade everything I own for a lifetime of amazing experiences and great memories. These things never get old and discarded and no one can take them away.

Thanks for making me take the time to stop and think Andy. It’s good to live in the moment instead of always thinking about the future. I realize I did to much of that at home.

Galapagos here we go.

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