Six-month Countdown

A couple weeks ago we sipped steaming cups of coffee while perusing the calendar to set a date. We came away having decided that Friday July 30, 2010 would be our last day at our jobs. We are quitting our jobs to take a gap year, as they call it; a sabbatical from our lives. It seems surreal to even say that; I've been at the same company for almost 10 years. Interesting to look back and remember that I didn't plan to be there long... in my mind, I just needed "an office job" while I figured out what to do. Then, in the blink of an eye, fast forward a decade. We've gotten married, bought a house, obtained professional designations, journeyman tickets & a piano teaching diploma, discovered a passion for gardening & wine-making, gone on a few tropical vacations...

Yet in 180 days (yes, I've counted!) we will leave this life and embark on a round-the-world (RTW) journey.

To say that we're excited would be an understatement. Yet there is a mountain of work to do in order to prepare, which is probably a good thing, as it serves to distract. We are embroiled in everything from researching our chosen destinations, to drafting up all sorts of lists (deciding what should go in a first aid kit would only be fun for me!) to establishing what documentation will be required.

We'll be starting in Hong Kong and heading west from there, slowly. We'd like to spend about 6-7 months in S.E. Asia, 1-2 months in India, a couple weeks in Turkey and the rest of the time in Europe where we'll meet Allie, freshly graduated from high school. At this point, that's pretty much all we know. This may seem crazy to some, but it works well for us. Aron & I enjoy travelling in the same way.... it's a break from our regular, scheduled lives. To us, travel is freedom. Sure, it's good to be organized & have at least a general idea of where exactly we're going. But we hope that there will be many opportunities to abandon our plans and welcome serendipity into our lives. Who knows who we may befriend, or what we may experience & see if we go with the flow?

The gift of time and the freedom to explore. That is what we will be giving ourselves.

This is the beauty of the open road.