Note to Sara - Been There...
Hey Sara,
I can relate to where you are right now. Working in the travel industry and loving nearly every day of the adventure was on one side of the coin. The other was "home"... a time to unpack boxes and "nest"... a time to connect back with friends and family... a time to feel apart of something for longer than a season...a time to actually meet someone and fall in love. Didn?t the universe, the media, the ?culture? forecast 1.5 children by the time I was?. Years of age? Hah!!!
Eventually I tried to break myself of the habit. It took me nearly a year to adjust. They talk about culture shock in traveling to a remote location but they don't explain the exact same feeling when you finally rent an apartment. for a year's lease and can't get away again. It was confining and when the love of my life didn?t come out of the bus commute and people I met couldn?t relate to my travel adventures?I mourned the clipping of my wings.
Travel is like an addiction and if there is a cure? I don?t know if I?ll ever find one. And truthfully I hope it never finds me.
I used to watch my friends take off on their seasonal ventures and I'd feel like a little part of me was dying inside. Eventually I adapted but truthfully it was very difficult.
Everything I owned could be tossed into a car and moved around if necessary. When I had enough money to buy a couch ? real furniture (not that Goodwill collection) I weighed out the decision?. Buy a couch or take a trip to New Zealand?. Hmmm?Needless to say I went Down Under and followed my soul.
I was extremely fortunate to work for a company that included travel as part of the job. They do exist and you know you will find one ? because it?s in your soul. It?s why CoolWorks rocks! It?s designed for those of us with wandering spirits ? like the elders over the tundra. You will get back to Bethel again ? it may be in 10 years or 20 but you will be able to return some day with the money you saved from another experience (work or otherwise).
And remember ? we are out there. If you need someone to talk to about this? just give a call. I can hook you up with lots and lots of people. Of course, they may want to take you on an adventure as well or just share maps of the world.
Oh and congratulations on the roses. Having lived in remote locations in Alaska I can truly appreciate the dedication it takes to have something like those arrive mid-winter.
Barb
1 Comments:
Sara - Barb is a wiiiiiiiise woman. Give her advice on connecting with the locals a little thought. I, too, lived in a Native village - fairly close to Bethel - and consider the conversations - aka insight - shared with me by the elders and children of my village to be some of the most memorable I have ever had. Treat yourself to a weekend in Fairbanks - spa, theater, Pikes - and you'll break up the winter.....As for the guy thing - he wants to stay in Richmond, you still want to see the world - that will work itself out - as you seemed to understand. Listen to your heart, you'll know what to do. As for family - they ARE priceless - but their dreams aer not necessarily yours. My father went as far one time to tell me I was "selfish" for not staying home. Once I gave in, he saw that I was indeed an electric eel in a goldfish pond and that for me to thrive, I had to be in open water....The most important thing for you to do is BE HONEST AND AUTHENTIC in your existence. Anything else will cause you great pain - and eventually the person you are with. Plus living someone else's idea of the dream eats away at your self-esteem...Believe me - I KNOW what I am talking about...I've done it, and now I spend a lot of time counseling people who settled and now are so confused they can't even remember what they were passionate about. Do your own thing, what makes your heart sing, Sweet Girl, and you'll find your tribe. Promise. (Go, Martin! Buser, that is...)
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