“You’re so lucky.”
I’ve heard that phrase a lot over the past eleven days of this vagabonding adventure and in the planning leading up to it.
And I am.
I am lucky to be healthy enough to take this trip. I am lucky to live somewhere that it is (relatively) socially acceptable and (relatively) safe to travel around as a solo-female. I am lucky to have friends who have offered me a place to spend the night when I’m in town.
But “luck” is not why I’m able to travel right now. Choices are.
I didn’t wake up one day with the time, money, and energy (its important!) to travel domestically and internationally for weeks. I never even woke up 100% certain that I was going to enjoy extended travel.
But I did decide that I didn’t want to be “a free spirit who never had the balls to be free.” (Cheryl Strayed, Wild) I decided that I wanted to try extended travel and that I would figure out how to do it. And I did…or rather, I am.
Figuring it out has involved a lot of choices. I chose to give up my studio apartment in an area where housing is expensive and tough to come by was a difficult one. I chose longer travel with work along the way over short “vacation” type travel. I chose to travel even though I’d be alone for a large portion of it (has now the full portion of it).
But the hardest decision is the one that I have to remake every single day: choosing to experience the insecurity and discomfort that is inherent in travel in exchange for its rewards. Fortunately, I brought along a book called “The Wisdom of Insecurity” by Alan Watts to guide me. I’m not very far along yet but I’m hoping it supports my decision. 🙂
And I Choose to Be Lucky.
Corny, yes, but it fit so well I just wanted to say it. And there’s some logic to it as well. If you choose to put yourself in situations where you are surrounded by people you like or doing things you like don’t you think the likelihood of experiencing lucky events will increase? (Full disclosure: this is a work in progress for me! Figuring out what and who I like takes some trial and error. Then prioritizing those things takes effort.)
On this trip, choosing to be lucky is about making a conscious effort to focus on the positive aspects of the day. Today, I couldn’t take my intended route down Highway 1 because of the recent rain and associated mudslides and I spent added about 30 minutes to my drive because the first alternate route that I chose also was closed to through traffic because of storms which I did not find out until I saw the sign in the road.
But the route I did take was beautiful, rolling green hills and farmland, and it was a shorter trip, and the driving was safer and less stressful. AND I SAW A RAINBOW! Today was a lucky day.
Books Referenced:
