My New Passion For Adventure

Speech Pathologist in the making! Graduated from SDSU with honors, summa cum laude, outstanding student

I feel like this past winter lasted forever...but now it's the end of May and no chance of snow in sight! My world is green again and the hustle of spring activities has died down, the slow hot breath of summer is upon the land.

My daughter Kathryne graduated from college last week, I was lucky enough to be there and partake in the jolly festivities...it was relaxing and invigorating. I walked on the beach, ate amazing food, visited with friends, and came home with a renewed sense of adventure. I can certainly see how the winter season cocooned me and blocked my vision of what the future can be. 

My second daughter, Holland, asked me the other night about having adventures. It kind of broke my heart, because I identified with what she asked me. "When can I have adventures?". Wow. I've been asking myself that for forty years...and I've convinced myself that my life is an adventure. If I'm truthful about it, the adventurous part of me has been in limbo, thinking that raising two young daughters and maintaining a large home is what my story should be. When I was Holland's age I had thoughts of adventure often...travel, meeting new people, seeing amazing sites...I'm not sure if I've actually done that.

Adventure is about not being scared of the future...or what can go wrong. We as a society get so bogged down maintaining the status quo that we lose sight of what beauty the world holds. We also get bogged down in all the bad things that happen in our lives, health issues, crime, bills, worry, mean people...the drive to fit in and be "successful".

In my heart of hearts I know that I'm a rebellious person. I don't want to follow the rules of what I'm supposed to be doing. I don't want to die in my four bedroom brick ranch house that I owned for forty five years. I want to throw off the cloak that dumbs me down and see all the natural beauty that God created, and I want to BE IN IT. I want my kids to BE IN IT. 

I unpacked my little carry on case the other day and I looked around and thought about how I love living out of a suitcase. I didn't use half the stuff I packed. I don't wear the clothes hanging in my closet (maybe once or twice). This house I live in is packed with stuff I don't need or use very often. Why are we paying for storage of stuff we never use?? Hello????

There was a video on the Facebook yesterday that showed a family who had sold all their possessions and were driving around the world, educating their son themselves, living in nature, canoeing on lakes with no one around, working online when needed, enjoying vital, open lives. It struck a major chord with me.

I've had an affinity for tiny houses the past few years. I really wanted one. I've wanted to move from the house we're in for about four years. But I didn't know where we were supposed to be. Nowhere permanent. Life is short. I have twenty years before I'm officially retirement age. Let's move these feet that are turning to stone, and have a freakin' adventure!!!!

It's totally weird that a nomadic lifestyle for a few years appeals to me. I love my bed...not sure I can sleep in a space with three other people breathing. I love crafting (and you know that creates clutter). I just launched my online ribbon business and it's growing well. My daughter and son in law are moving to the same city we are in. Why would I want to pack it all up and drive away from that?

Because life is short right? I want my little girls to see things and have a wonderful, mysterious adventure. I want to look up in the sky and see millions of stars. Life isn't easy, but it is short. 

Next summer is my goal to get out of here...to sell or give away all this crap that is sucking the life out of me. To drive around the country and visit all our friends in many states, to see the national parks, to dip our toes in all the waters, and to bond as a family. My husband is coming too, as soon as I can convince him.

Just think, no debt and no crap. Wow. That's big. When the two years on the road are over we will assess where we want to go...maybe build a tiny-ish house. Keep the rv so we can moonlight as fulltimers...

Stay tuned for more news...what I'm selling...what I'm buying to get ready...homeschooling on the road...travel hints...and all that jazz.

I'm SO EXCITED!!!! What is your passion?