#tripplaning

The basic idea with my upcoming trip is to see what happens when I don't really have a plan. The problem is...I'm a planner. One of the main reasons I am embarking on this adventure is to help me learn how to live in the moment after a lifetime of being fixated on the future and dwelling on the past. But I am a dreamer and my mind continues to wander to the adventure ahead. So how am I coping?

1) A little indulgence - I hop online and do a little research on the places I would like to visit, but I don't document it. I can learn about biking the Camino de Santiago or visiting historical sites in Japan, but for now it's just reading.

2) Practiquer mes langues - I know I will be starting my trip in Holland and probably will visit France again, so I need to work on Dutch and French. I've got enough ways to immerse myself that I have no excuse...podcasts, songs, language apps and fluent friends. Just gotta do the work.

3) Paring down and packing - I move back to Louisiana in TWO WEEKS!!! I have to reduce from the three-bedroom house I have lived in for the last 6 years, to a backpack and bits of storage space amongst my relatives. How much baggage have I been carrying around for the last decade? (Remember the part about dwelling on the past?) I've already thrown or given away bags and bags...and bags of stuff that I didn't need. Hopefully when I settle again after my trip, I will have learned how little I need and keep the excess stuff to a minimum.

4) The best way to learn to live in the present is LIVE IN THE PRESENT! I am enjoying time with friends and catching myself in moments of the craziness of living and working in Orlando. Hot air balloons in the morning, rainbows in the evening and fireworks in the distance. Construction and change. People from all over the world seeking happiness and an entire community based around creating it. Each day is precious, because even if I return, it won't be the same.