The point of no return has not yet been crossed, but for all intents and purposes, there is no going back. Although Tara and I are not leaving for another four months, I told my boss about the trip a couple weeks ago (basically five months from our departure). There were several reasons why I told him so far in advance, and the most compelling was the deep hope I could take a sabbatical. Unfortunately, as I just found out this past week, I won’t be able to.
Once Tara and I found out that my employer would not hold my position for me to return to, we debated the pros and cons of moving forward with the trip, its duration and just about every aspect about it. Myriad reasons had us hoping my workplace could accommodate the trip. So now what?
Should we just scrap the trip? Or stick to our guns, plans and dreams? We found ourselves questioning everything, at a time when we were hoping to move forward with the trip, not justify our reasons for wanting to go on it. In many ways, the motivation and objective of this trip and why we’re doing it defies a simple explanation. Why do Amish people have rumspringa? Why do some countries embrace gap years? There were, and are, a million reasons why this is a great idea and a million counterpoints against it. Ultimately, what can’t be ignore is that this is a pretty perfect time for Tara and me to go.
Without rattling off the laundry list of reasons why we’re going, what it really comes down to is freedom. Currently, we’re as free as we’ll probably ever be. Physically we’re in good shape (though Tara could be classified as being in excellent shape). Walking, hiking, running down a train — we can do these things. Most importantly, we don’t have kids, pugs, err … any pets. Who knows what the future may hold, but I assure you that this trip would not even be a consideration if we had Mr. Chubbs (our future chubby pug).
The key is to trust that we’ve planned properly. I’ll admit, we have some apprehension, but we won’t let fear paralyze us. Who knows what will come of this. We’ll let you know in another year.
Ah there is “no perfect” time to do anything in this world and like you mention you seem to be in the most “perfect time” as it is…no kids, no pets, go for it! I hope you have a great time, I’m sure there will be moments but life is full of surprises, especially when one is oops 9 months later … or like my grandparents eventually too old ie health wise that they could barely leave the house. They never had a “chance” after they waited and saved for sooo long. Keep in mind all the good reasons you want to go and that will keep you going when the times get a little rough. Cheers
Thanks for the encouraging words and well wishes 🙂
So well detailed! What adventures await you, my dears!