The First Voyage: West Palm Beach to San Diego

12 Days
3,281 miles
One car accident (at a Whole Foods parking lot)
One car break-in in Austin (and few possessions lighter)
A hike of a lifetime to the top of Bell Rock
A near-death experience falling off a tree
And all the incredible new and old friends along the way…

My heart is bursting with joy and gratitude for the powerful lessons and moments 2019 brought my way in just 17 short days.

Things happen. Good or bad - we rush to assign meaning, but what is the point? Things will always happen as they should, whether we resist or insist. So you may as well be nimble. You may as well be present without judgment. There is wisdom in every circumstance, and especially in big failures.

This is exactly what I was looking for – being uncomfortable and living in the moment – when I decided to drive cross-country. I CHOOSE to be “without a home” for a year because "the home" became too safe, too cozy, too familiar, too suffocating. There is a whole world out there and here I was occupying the same one fragment of it (albeit lovely!) for over 17 years.

Anyone else read “Sophie’s World” by J. Gaarder? The opening chapters compare the world to a top hat to illustrate how humans, as we grow up, become more complacent and accustomed to living an ordinary, predictable life. Instead of being excited about the rabbit, we “burrow” into its cozy fur and lose our sense of wonder forever.

Sounds familiar? Don’t know about you, but I had enough. I’m 30! The society tells me I need to settle down, find a partner, save money, buy a house, be responsible, have a baby, build a career, be happy… The whole thing is a ridiculous contradiction. At what point do you stop checking the boxes and begin to live a little?

Maybe one day, I’ll look at these moments and roll my eyes at my own impulsiveness. After all, I traded my solid friendships, amazing community, beautiful town and being close to my family for a whole lot of unknown and unpredictable. But you know what I’ll never regret? DARING!

MAJOR THANKS to my dearest sister, who joined me for a big chunk of the drive.

In San Diego for a few weeks. Then I simply trust that this journey takes me to where I’m destined.