Sliding Doors

For the last decade, I have considered taking a year off to travel the world. However, due to changing life circumstances, whether that be a person, job, school, or money, that year of travel has always eluded me. No more. My sliding door is now closed. I leave behind my friends, jumbo mortgage, In n' Out burgers, and family for my year of personal growth in order to journey within. I may not climb the corporate ladder as quickly as I would like, or make as much money or any money for that matter, but what will I really remember 20 years from now; I hope it is the life experiences that will shape me in the next year.

Why now? I say, why not? The bigger risk for me is in not taking it and always wondering, what if? I want to ensure that I'm always living life with purpose, passion and meaning. Last July, I spent several weeks in Tanzania and helped an all HIV+ community set up an HIV/AIDS educational seminar and hired a couple of doctors to test a village of adults for the disease. That experience has inspired me to give back to communities in need along the way and so my year off is not completely self-serving. ;-)

Although, friends may think that I am taking this year off in search of a man since I have now exhausted all of Minnesota and San Francisco in my dating spree, that is far from the truth. If time spent traveling through Nicaruagua and Nepal were the best routes to meet a future husband, I'm sure many more women would have written books on the topic by now. Even though I have been proposed to by a tomb guard in Egypt and by the local drunk in Tanzania, I don't plan to get hitched along the way, but I'm not discounting the notion. I do plan to keep a journal of my travels so that you can join me on this journey.

Typical, I have not planned a specific itinerary of my destinations and will wander aimlessly around the world until I either run out of money or have to do my taxes again. All I take with me is a carry-on sized backpack, my ticket to Guatemala and my sense of adventure. In terms of planning, I need to be in Beijing for the Olympics in August and the rest I will make up as I go. I am traveling alone and so wish me luck! I know you are wondering if I am crazy. No, I'm just sometimes delusional and thankfully myself will keep me company when I get lonely. I also know that my mom will be looking after me and I take this mental holiday in her memory and with her in mind; I commence my journey on Mother's Day, May 11th.