A year ago, my boyfriend and I took a trip to Maine to visit my daughter and her friend, who were travelling the country in an RV. We went hiking and sightseeing, ate tons of lobster and spent time enjoying nature and the majestic beauty of the landscape (did you know that there are 24 billion trees in Maine?). We both love to hike, bike, kayak and scope out wildlife. We did quite a few trips that first year we were together, in love with each other and the adventure of travel. But it was there at the campground in Maine, we were sitting around the fireplace, when I said to him, “What are we doing with our lives?” Even though we are truly happy together and as individuals, even though we love our lives, our families, and our friends, even though we have good jobs and nice homes, despite all this, the days were slipping by and the months too quickly melting into years. Things were good, really good, but out in nature, travelling, exploring we were in touch with our truest selves and life jumped to a whole other level.
I will never forget that day sitting with him around the campfire, as it put the wheels in motion, setting our life on a brand new trajectory. Full speed ahead. What started as a hypothetical, theoretical question got us to thinking that maybe life had something else in store for us. A single question is all it takes sometimes to change everything. You start living the answers, playing them in your head until new possibilities pop up and you start to think, “What if?”
We decided to go for it. To make it happen. We are in our fifties and nothing in life is guaranteed. We gave ourselves a year, which, at the time, seemed like a long time. In the meantime, COVID happened and turned the world upside down. But it gifted us with the realization that it is possible to do our jobs remotely. I broke my leg rollerblading and the months I was laid up put a whole new perspective on so many things. It gave me the urgency to live my life to the fullest, it made me so grateful for my good health, and reinforced my love for my boyfriend who stepped up in a big way when I was helpless.
The year flew by. We bought an RV. In 16 days, we hit the road, embarking on a brand new life. In 16 days, this dream of ours will become reality. Do you ever dare to ask yourself what you are doing with your life? Do you ever dare to think about the answers to what if? If you could imagine the sweetest life for yourself, where would it take you?
I invite you to follow Renato and I on our journey. I hope to have much more time to blog about our adventures, our relationship and of course, about happiness.
