And I'm Off (Again)

I've quit my jobs. I've subleased my apartment. I've saved money.

I've suited up my backpack. I've kissed my brothers goodbye. I've got my passport in hand.

And I've done all these things before. Putting together Nora the Explora isn't something new.

But something is different about this adventure.

Because I've got this feeling I'm not coming back. For a while, at least. I'm ready to get lost in streets I don't know by name. To find difficulty in simple tasks like grocery shopping. I'm looking forward to not understanding everything people say. To the use of hand gestures and reading strangers expressions. I'm excited to breathe in the life of simplicity. To rummaging in my backpack for only a few clothing options- the true necessities.

And it's scary and completely normal at the same time. To give up this life of exorbitance for something bigger, something better? At least, something different.

Because I've been living a pretty easy life. My routine in Charleston, South Carolina has been a dream. Waking up to sailboats cruising by, playing with children in the woods, flowing on my yoga mat with like-minded individuals, getting my hands dirty gleaning vegetables, laying by my hotel pool of choice soaking in the rays, paddling out to Shem Creek, sinking my feet in the sand at Folly. And although I can say that life was pure bliss, there was always something missing- the challenge, the unknown.

And so that's what I am seeking. To drop the bullshit of daily woes and put myself in the middle of the fire. Yes, I might get burned. Truthfully, I hope I do. Really, how is strength built without challenge?

Because I want to make an impression on this planet. But, I've got to figure out who I am before I can do that. And as of yet, all I know is that I am an explorer. An adventurer. A dreamer. A lover of all cultures, of all people, poor and rich, fat and skinny, old and young- who gives a fuck, I love us all.

And without seeing the whole world, beyond the small, tiny, select privileged world I come from, how am I supposed to learn how to change it? How to change myself? Because we could all use some changing.

So the moment is now. It's really happening y'all.

 {off to Cambodia}