System Reboot…….Day 1 of a New Year…….and a new challenge…..
Will I accept the challenge? Yes. Will I succeed in this challenge of writing and posting something every day for the next 100 days? That’s another matter entirely. But, on day one, I will succeed.
It’s January 1, 2018. At this time last year, and the year prior, we had purchased our departing airline tickets for Europe. In March / April of 2017, my wife and I took two weeks and traveled to Prague for three days, then Budapest for four, and finished up in Paris with another 7 days. It was the best trip of three we had done together so far.
In 2016, we were blessed to include our youngest on an 11 day trip to London, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Berlin. At the time, we thought it could be our last “family trip” as she was graduating from high school and who knew where she would be heading.
Like our stories, our daughter’s was / and is still evolving. In April, we brought her home to Texas from a six month outreach program that saw her living in Paris and experiencing the wonderful culture of that city for three months, followed up with three much more challenging months in Southeast Asia serving in an outreach capacity in the local communities. It was a time of stretching and growth for her. But that is her story.
Our story in 2017; after returning to Plano, Texas, we settled in for what would turn out to be a restless three months desperately wanting a change of scenery. Through a series of personal events, that change came with a move to Durham, North Carolina.
We’ve had moments where we’ve been excited to be in the Triangle Region. There are some great museums, used bookstores, restaurants — not to mention it’s a paradise for basketball fans. For us, the proximity to the mountains, something we’ve always wished for, along with being within three hours of the coast, and only about four hours from the National Capital Region, has been stimulating. But it’s not home, or at least, it doesn’t feel like home.
Question, what does home feel like? Perhaps a topic for another day.
Fast forward to today. No tickets have been purchased. No plans have been made. Our means to make those plans, or at least, the catalyst that helps us to start our trip planning with confidence, did not come through as it has in years past, and it hurts, even now. The lack of direct control has been difficult to overcome. Maybe that’s a good thing going forward. I have the power to change the game. And maybe today is the day that I finally exercise that power.
Day 1 of a New Year…….Challenge accepted!
Photo Credit: Bonnie Martens, Oct. 19, 2017 — Portomarin, Spain
Recent Comments