An Idea is Planted

Many of us fantasize about the idea of leaving everything we own behind and starting fresh.

There is a certain romanticism behind a clean slate.

Or at least, I got this impression upon finally telling many people my plans for the next year.

It turns out it’s much harder than you’d think to take off for a long time.

Eleven years ago, or more, Jenny and I dreamt of a long term travel experience. I’ll do my best, not to speak for her. This is my recounting.

At first it was going to happen when she finished school. Then when she left her first job. We talked about it when I left my first long-term job in Vancouver and started my own thing.

The older we got, the more excuses we created, the more attached to our lives and belongings we became.

We purchased a home. There were friends and family to think of.

Work was a big hurdle for a long time, particularly for me.

Jenny had landed a job that permitted her to work from about anywhere in the world some four years prior.

I was (am?) very attached to my work. It would feel as if I were abandoning my in-person clients. *I’m still struggling with this.

Opportunities had come and gone. One of us quitting a job here or starting a new job there. A big move from one part of town to the next.

There is always part of your lizard brain telling you you can’t do it.

Think of the cost! Where will you put all your stuff? You can’t rent your place out to strangers! What if you get sick? What about the car payments? Who will take the cat?

Indeed the Cat

The cat (Wilson) we had owned together since we moved in-together way back in 2007. We don’t know how old he was for sure. At least fourteen but possibly seventeen years old. Our tuxedo anchor had sadly come down with some rare form of cancer and passed away in December 2017.

That’s when the conversation began.

Suddenly what felt like the biggest hurdle, had been removed. It’s silly to think that your life is so heavily tied into a small furry animal. Anyone with a pet knows that they very much become integrated into your daily routine. Rather than rush to replace him, we started looking at our finances.

This isn’t going to be a ‘vacation’ and we’ll need to work while we travel. We’ll have to become digital nomads. I’ll need to make a strong effort to grow my online business to make it more comfortable. I have to shoot a lot of exercise videos and get more focused on something other than my in-person work.

A lot of work still to do but it’s possible and that’s all we need.

If we rent our condo out, even with my small online training clientele, we could make it work. We’ll have to make some concessions but it’s doable.

Let the planning begin!