Gratitude. A big word. A big feeling. We've felt overwhelming gratitude at several points along our journey this past 1+ year . . .
Game Time
When we ultimately made the decision in February 2019 to leave all our creature comforts to depart on a new family adventure traveling across the globe, we felt gratitude that we had the financial means to support such a big, unconventional decision. We felt gratitude that our families & friends supported us wholeheartedly, even though it meant we'd be far away for some time. We felt gratitude that our decision felt right for us and we never second guessed it. We were on the same team & excited to embark on a new challenge & opportunity.
On the Move
Over the past 9 months, as we've traveled around to new countries, experiencing new cultures in unique ways and meeting special people along the way, we never lost sight of how fortunate we were to be living our dream. To be stretching beyond the comforts of home and known entities. To be challenging ourselves with new environments, new cuisines, even language barriers. We thrived on the ability to experience so much "newness" and so many people & places, different from what we knew. We were grateful for flexibility in our schedules, not bound to any strict routines; we could be out & about, exploring and experiencing at our free will. We were very appreciative - in the moment - of the opportunity to be doing what we were doing as a family.
Current Day
Now we find ourselves hunkered down in one place, like much of the world. Many things that are "new" for others under the circumstances - abundant time in close quarters with your immediate family, home schooling, etc. - were already part of the fabric of life we've been living the past 9 months. What's particularly new & an adjustment for us is staying put in one place! It's novel and exciting for many reasons, and we're making the most of it & enjoying many aspects.
Having no more responsibilities of planning future travel, we've had more time than previously to reflect. With country borders shut, industries stopped in their tracks and jobs cut short, our hearts go out to so many. We can't help but think of all the special people we've met in the travel/tourist industry along the way who helped make our experiences to date so incredibly memorable, who shared their gorgeous countries & cultures with us, who shared stories & laughs with us, who we still message with & check in on to this day . . . Our hearts are with them & their families, whose livelihood has been materially impacted by the closure of tourism as we know it.
We're experiencing a new, deeper wave of appreciation for our ability to have traveled freely through countries and experience firsthand their cultures. At this point, our travels feel almost like a dream. Like a lifetime ago. Like so many of us, life pre-coronavirus seems like a distant memory. Even though our travels were cut short and we had ambitions of many more months of travel (we were even planning to extend a full 2nd year!), we are massively grateful for the experiences we were able to accumulate and will forever carry with us.
We look forward to the day when the world opens up again, where we all can travel to connect with people in other parts of the world. We'll be ready & grateful to reboot.
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