Prologue: Taking the leap
Where to begin…
With this idea, with this trip, with this blog. It’s that feeling like you’re standing on a ledge, with no idea what you’ll find when you jump. It’s uncomfortable, it’s daunting, it’s a little scary — but it’s also thrilling. And that’s how you know it’s right.
Last year, my partner Travis and I felt like we were at a crossroads, uncertain about what we should be doing next with this one short life we get to live.
We talked about how we can be most impactful in our jobs and in our communities, we talked about having a baby and saving to buy a house. We talked to friends. We made google spreadsheets, mapping out life scenarios, and tried to figure out what we really wanted — both individually and together.
We started toying with the wild idea of taking a break to travel, and as soon as it was spoken aloud, it couldn’t be reined back in. YES, THAT IS WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING. Of course, there were many more spreadsheets and decision trees, but we both knew.
For me, the deepest craving for community and connection and meaning and movement has always been wrapped up in travel. There is nothing like the wonder of travel — the truest humbling reminder of how much there is to learn about this world and each other. If I have any kind of spirituality, that has to be it. And, what could be better than doing that thing that moves you most, than doing it with your partner in crime.
My dear friend-in-spirit, Anthony Bourdain, said it best: “Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life — and travel — leaves marks on you.”
I hope to use this blog to journal some of this adventure (even if it’s often imperfect) and to stay connected to you.
And lastly, I want to acknowledge the weight of leaving the U.S. as it is rapidly descending into authoritarianism. I am afraid of what lies ahead. But as a Jew and a third-generation descendent of Holocaust survivors, I believe fiercely in the responsibility we each bear to protect our communities and fix our country’s broken democracy. There are many battles ahead, and I’ll be there for all of them.
