All in Travel
I don't wanna blow your mind, man, but it's all here now. Like right now. My obsession with The Destination has been so totally misguided. This fixation is why I'm feeling off kilter. I'm traveling right now. I'm living out of my backpack right now. I'm a self-employed online entrepreneur right now. I'm in it. It's time to finally check in.
I'm celebrating my anniversary today! One year ago today my doctor looked up slowly from the lab reports, put her hand over her thyroid in her throat, and said to me: "Your body is attacking itself, love." Until that moment, I'd never heard of Hashimoto's.
This past year has taught me a few hard-fought lessons. Please borrow as needed.
"You are not your degrees," I said as I took my diplomas off my wall.
"You are not your 11 bookcases + all the books on them," I said as I ransacked my living room.
"You are not your four over-stuffed closets, you're not that dress, you're not those boots, " I said as I took a solid month to get rid of all my clothing.
We can so easily wake up one day at the point that we believe our stuff defines us, that it says something about who we are as people, that it demonstrates how smart or creative we are.
When I first started dreaming of my solo 'round-the-world (RTW) trip, I pictured my first locations as Iceland, Greenland, all over Scandinavia, Ireland...anywhere cold and comfortable and easy. You know, cute scarves and all. Yes, I know most people fantasize about leaving their jobs for life on a tropical beach, but heat and humidity are difficult for me. I was planning to save SE Asia as my last pit stop, once my solo travel moxie was firing on all cylinders. Well, so much for that.
Yes, I'm traveling solo. No, I'm not afraid. Yes, I enjoy being alone. P.S. Alone is not the same as lonely, though there will inevitably be a lot of that, too. I'm okay with it.
No, my Hashimoto's is not in remission, my PCOD is not resolved, and my adrenals are still failing. No, that doesn't make me second guess my decision, it makes me re-commit. P.S. 25% of my 46L backpack will contain 6 months worth of 9 different medications. It is what it is. It's not stopping me.
I did it. I'm doing it. It's happening. I'm in the process of selling everything I own, from furniture to clothing to my car. As of 08/01 I am officially and intentionally unemployed (or rather, I'm self-employed). As of 08/25 I am officially and intentionally homeless (a friend and her partner will rent my condo). As of September I'll be visiting family + friends in California before venturing to LAX...with only my backpack and a one-way ticket to Indonesia.
