The Adventure Begins •

The adventure has begun! After years of working and working I’m taking a break.

Leading up to my travels I started realizing just how distracted I’ve been. Running in seven different work directions, volunteering, being on a board, playing sports, going to the gym….there just wasn’t any time for me to hear my own voice or feel my heart. Now, there is. Ironically with all the space I created I get to confront my two biggest demons – loneliness and boredom. And I see how I was wired to use work as a sort of avoidance. But busy didn’t have any clear direction and that’s what I’m searching for.

Since I wanted a change, I tried to create a totally new experience and explore forgotten parts of myself. Because whoever said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result was a genius! I had enough of doing the same multitude of things every day with no change in how lost I felt.

View of Costa Rica upon decent into Liberia

I decided to fly to a continent I never been, in a country vastly different than where I’ve visited before and pack into a carry on bag for six weeks.

For those that know me you know the last point is an especially huge accomplishments! (Yay I did it!) Unfortunately, I was so focused on my pride about fitting into the bag that I forgot to carry it around for practice….

What it was like fitting in to a carryon

Before boarding my connecting flight I pondered the question “what do you need?” My bags, though small, are too heavy. (Mental note – always do luggage walk before a long trip.) I began thinking of the items I could throw out, try to sell, or ship home.

It’s a real bummer to lose these.

I got on the plane (and wow I could just feel how happy everyone was to be going to Costa Rica!) and after takeoff bought a sandwich. When I tried to pay the flight attendant I discovered that all my credit cards were gone. I figured I left them in the airport. I didn’t panic because there was nothing I could do about it. I did, however, realize it’s very unlike me to lose my credit cards. I also thought about what a bummer my first day could be and wondered how I’d check in to my first hotel.)

Then I realized the universe had just shown me an answer to my “need” questions. I needed my credit cards! Well at least I know one thing I need. Then because I didn’t believe I would leave my credit cards behind, I searched my bag again…and of course found them!

So I found the flight attendant and tried to pay her but at that very moment she got called away to help a sick passenger and never made it back to me. (The passenger, I believe, is fine – she had an anxiety attack and felt weak.) So I contacted the airline asking how I pay them, and they said they appreciated my honesty, but there was no way to bill me and so the sandwich was on them!

I ended up meeting tons of great people on my flight and when I walked toward customs, realizing that yes, I really did just up and leave everything familiar and comfortable to go listen to myself and find myself, my heart, much like the Grinch’s on Christmas Day, felt like it swelled up so big I got a bit teary eyed. I heard it thank me for making time to listen to it.