A First of Firsts

This is my very first blog post of my very first blog so bear with me, please. It came about after telling one of my contractors of my plans to travel around the world. She got so excited and told me I had to start a blog and promised to follow it. Are you reading this Rebecca? :) I thought about how I love to write and how I love to Facebook and figured this would be a perfect combination of the two. So here I am. I really have no idea what I'm doing. I've never even read a blog before! It's been a long time since I've done any sort of journaling so I'm hoping my writing improves with time. Meanwhile, I would like to thank you in advance for reading.

Towards the end of 2013 I became rather open about my plans. Anybody that knows me at all knows how much I detest Maryland and living in the DC area. It hasn't been all bad. In fact the last few years have been pretty great, but I've been trying to move back to California since about a year after I moved back East and that was over 18 years ago! Although most people weren't surprised to hear I was leaving they were surprised about my plans to travel for an extended/indefinite period of time. And I must say I was rather surprised, and grateful, by how much support I received. Most people cheered me on and were curious about the details. They will be forthcoming...just keep reading my blog posts. ;-)

The first question, understandably, was about my son. Well, Clay is about to turn 18 and is no longer bound by school to keep us here. He is eager to start his own life adventure and wants to move to Oregon. Ideally he'd like to live in California but realistically decided it’s just too expensive. So, the next closest state (that isn't a hot desert) is Oregon. Neither of us has ever been there, nor do we know anybody who lives there, but it has a great reputation and the more he learns about it the more excited he is. We will take some time to drive across country, visiting some relatives along the way, possibly check out a few state/national parks, do some hiking and explore Oregon. His plans include working and going to community college for a year or two until he can get into a four year university. It goes without saying that I will miss him immensely. We have an incredibly close bond and I've never been away from him for more than three weeks at a time. But I'm excited for him; looking forward to watching him grow and become his own person as he develops into an independent young man, and listening as he shares his adventures with me. Regular Skype dates will definitely be part of the plan!

How this came about? Well...a few things came into play. To begin with, as I said, my son is almost 18. We had a bumpy last couple years and as far as I'm concerned, he needs to spread his wings and fly the coop. And as you know by now, staying in MD was never in my plans anyhow. Approaching a crossroad, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what I was going to do. I'm still young enough to have a long working life ahead of me but old enough to know that if I want to do something I'd better do it now because most likely I won't have this opportunity again. Property Management is not something I want to do any longer. I feel a great pull to finish my life by making a meaningful difference in the lives of others. So I toyed with career change ideas. I could go back to school and become an occupational therapist (that's still an option). Or I could become a real estate appraiser--not a benevolent profession but it would be one in which I don't have to answer to others and I could do it on my schedule while cruising around California on a Vespa. :D Both are fine careers and would pay the bills but I wasn't feeling it. I also thought of joining some volunteer organization that gets sent to help out in disaster struck areas. But I don't have any real skills required (nursing, construction, technology, etc.) to contribute, tho I'm still keeping this in the back of my mind for when I'm done traveling.

Another factor was when a colleague died last May after a year long struggle with brain cancer. She was only about 10 years older than me. It really rattled me but didn't bring any clarity. Then I watched The Way by Emelio Estevez starring his father, Martin Sheen. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. It was what swayed me and made my decision clear.

Like most people, I love to travel. But I don't like being a tourist. I like to meet the locals and really immerse myself in the culture and experience things that locals enjoy. It's impossible to do that when one visits ten countries in ten days (which is about all the vacation time we get each year). For those of you who don't know, I quit college half way through my junior year to backpack around Europe. My initial six month trip turned into sixteen months. Three months in, I ran out of money and got a job as an Au Pair near Vienna, Austria. From there I lived in London, working as a waitress for three months. A part of me still regrets moving back to the States. I got to see quite a bit of Europe though I missed quite a bit too. I had some amazing experiences, met some really great people and made lifelong friends. I'm looking forward to doing that again but on a grander, more mature scale. No longer is my goal to drink beer and eat chocolate in every country. Now I'm checking off bucket list items. I've done most everything that I can 'do' on my bucket list (skydiving, skeet shooting, spelunking, bungee jumping, whitewater rafting, etc.). What remains mostly are 'places'. Some of the things on my list are chilling in Portugal for a few weeks, drinking wine and watching the sunset after walking the 500 miles of the Camino de Santiago; Exploring the great pyramids of Egypt (political climate allowing); Watching the bull run in Pamplona; Ascending China's Mount Hua Shan; Marveling at the painted mountains and The Great Wall of China; Praying at the Wailing Wall; Wrestling crocodiles in Australia (ok, I'm just kidding on that one) and volunteering whatever services I can offer in Africa. The list goes on but you get the idea. The bottom line is that if I don't do it now, I may never be able to do it. Wait until I retire? My colleague never got to that moment. And if I am still alive, will I have the energy, strength and resources to backpack around the world when I'm 65? The way I see it, it’s now or never. Apparently this is called a 'gap year' (or two) and is no longer just for college kids but is becoming quite common for people in my situation.

Even though I’m running for the door, please don’t think I leave lightly. It is the first time I've ever lived anyplace for so long (15 years). I'm selling my first house: the place where I watched my son grow up. Attached to it is the deck my father built with his blood, sweat, and tears, literally! So many meals and gatherings have been enjoyed here with friends and family; there is immense sentimentality attached. I’ve had some amazing experiences, met some really great people and made lifelong friends. I don’t take those relationships lightly and cherish every one. I’ve also developed a true fondness for many of the people I’ve worked with over the years. I enjoyed seeing so many of you at the Holiday parties in December despite the bittersweet knowledge that it would probably be the last time I ever see you. However I do hold the hope that if you are going to be traveling to wherever I am at that moment, you send me a note and we can meet up for a drink or some local cuisine. And if you have any recommendations on must go places, things to do or see, they are welcome and much appreciated. I have set up a link on the blog for you to post them to.

So it is with great excitement that I begin a new chapter in my life: one of carrying my belongings on my back, sleeping on lumpy twin mattress at hostels, struggling through language barriers and meeting a lot of new people. But first a scenic trip across country to safely deliver my son to his West Coast destination. I look forward to you joining me on this adventure, for in this virtual world we are never really very far apart.