Backpacking South America

Traveling for a year never seemed like a possibility, only an unattainable dream.  I love people and love hearing their story, regardless of how big or small it may be.  Everybody has a story to tell or something in their life that shaped or even defined who they are.  What I appreciate most about people is how they use those experiences and circumstances to create and become the person they choose to be.  I believe that we all have the power to define who we are in light of our circumstances.

So for me, this adventure, traveling around South America, would have never happened if I had not met my husband.  He’s the real dreamer.  I’m just a doer.  If you want something done, I’m the one to help you accomplish it.  My motto is “If there’s a will, there’s a way.”  Ask any of my friends, I’m the responsible one; I’m a realist; I’m a planner – I have a schedule; I have responsibilities; and if you need me, I’ll always be there.  But, I haven’t shirked my responsibilities – I just quit my job, sold the car, gave up our apartment and packed everything I need for one year in my backpack.  I’ve liberated myself and I’ve given myself the freedom to be irresponsibly happy and take advantage of living life and seeing the world with my best friend.

We’ve given ourselves the liberty to travel one year, but we’ve also given ourselves the freedom to change our minds.  If we get tired or if we run out of money early (likely), we return home, fulfilled, not defeated, ready for the next journey.  What I have learned so far is how to live with less, adaptability, the kindness of strangers, creative cooking and a deeper inner strength that overthrows the fear of the unknown, and even my limitations.  I’ve learned that there’s no better place than with the ones you love and that home in never more than a phone call away.  The best adventure of my life is walking side by side with the one I love and that we’re blessed to be able to write this story together.

So I may not be the typical traveler.  I don’t necessarily thrive off the next adventure.  I might tread with precaution, but I walk through willing to try and see what can be learned from each experience.  After reading a post by Christine Gilbert of Almostfearless.com I really searched to see what redesigning my life and travel meant to me.  It resonated with me when she wrote traveling is “about giving back, or learning, or solitude or self discovery.  Travel is the metaphor that helps us understand the shared intent: the freedom to spend our days doing what we’d like.”  I realize that not everybody has the ability to travel or do what we’re doing. We feel very fortunate, but it truly is a growing experience. My hope is that in the end I don’t forget this.  We can choose how to live life.  We may not always be able to choose our circumstances, but we can always choose how we allow those circumstances to shape who we are.

Security isn’t about the place you live in or the people around you, though it may influence the level of security, but security is found in your self-confidence, knowing that you can overcome adversity, share the joy of success and the pain of failure with those you love.  I know we’re not finished yet, so we shall soldier on and continue to discover and rediscover more about ourselves and each other and these new cultures we live in and burrow a deeper sense of security in ourselves.  I shall continue to grow and be stretched by the humanity of others and hopefully through our eyes and experiences, be able to positively influence the lives of others.

The journey of life entails allowing yourself the freedom to live.