Are we having fun yet?

Sitting here at the Squatter’s Brewery at the Salt Lake City airport waiting for our second flight of the day – destination Atlanta, before heading onwards to the first stop on our journey, Belize, I finally find the time to reflect on what has actually happened in the past three weeks.

About three weeks ago is when the preparatory activity shifted into ultra high gear and the sense of “something big’s gonna go down here” began mounting. During these past three weeks we were focused, almost single-mindedly, on getting the unending list of things that needed doing, done. It was amazing how much effort it required – a common thread, connecting all this activity, was that we had to sort things out and pack them up – some things to be sold, some things to be donated and some things to be moved to wonderful friends’ houses, and the remaining things to be packed into our Ford Explorer to wait for us in long term car storage.

In addition, we also had a lot of admin-y type things to get done – wills, powers of attorney documents, safety deposit boxes, car storage insurance, completing our vaccination programs, not to mention finishing off at work and ensuring a smooth transition there.

The result of this effort was that the process of getting ready completely monopolized my mental bandwidth and left me without much time to actually think about or get excited about what we were about to embark on. I’m slowly getting around to realizing that the preparation is now complete – the proof of that is undeniable, after all, here we are in Salt Lake City, on our way.

I’m just wondering why I don’t feel ablaze with excitement yet? Perhaps it’s the sense of expectation at this point that’s overwhelming – the conception of and planning of this trip led to a mental image just loaded with superlatives and endless options, and possibilities of adventure and personal growth. Talking about our trip invariably evoked welcome and wonderfully positive responses from family, friends and co-workers. Responses that usually included an exclamation of how utterly amazing and life changing it is going to be; all of which, I realize, has put a lot of pressure on me/us to make sure the most is made of this opportunity!

Maybe all I need is a little more sleep than the past few weeks have afforded me.

I’ll find my groove.

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Richard

There are 2 comments. Add yours

  1. 6th November 2013 | Cam Kemp says: Reply
    Richard, Hang in there! I found the same thing when we did our trip this summer. Have I forgotten anything? What have I missed? Is the boat ready to go? You have to let your mind settled down and de-clutter from the million things it's been processing as you've gotten ready to go. I'm sure when you get to Belize (I suspect you're there by now) you'll start to get in the groove and begin to appreciate what you're about to embark on. Thanks for the update. Cam
    • 7th November 2013 | Richard says: Reply
      Hey Cam, thanks for the comment. Yes, a million things is about right :) After a couple of days (in Belize) now, the groove has been sighted and will be reached very soon.

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