Farewell

This is a farewell post.

This is a farewell to comfort, security, routine, and the life I have lived for the past 26 years. A farewell to the ideas that society has cultivated for me. And to the thought that life needs to revolve around working a soul sucking job in order to save for retirement. The concept of working when you are young and traveling when you are old is all wrong, so I say farewell to that also. This is a farewell to everyone else's concept of a "normal" or "real" life.

It is a farewell to loved ones including family, friends, and other halves. A farewell to my sweet, perfect little pup. A farewell to a portion of my heart. These are the hardest farewells of all. This life I have chosen for myself comes at a high price. I am sacrificing perfection for the unknown. Not a day will go by that I don't think of you all and wonder if the price was too high. I say farewell to you, but not goodbye. Never goodbye.

It is also a farewell to material things. The clothes I thought were so important will now lay forgotten in my closet, collecting dust for years. It's a farewell to the idea of a car, house, or next best thing. When you put a bag on your back you realize that the only things you really need can fit into the smallest container and everything else is just takes up unnecessary space. Life goes on without a flat screen TV or your collection of shoes. When you remove all of the things that make up who you think you are you might just start to realize you have been hiding behind a material lie. Strip yourself of your things and discover your true priorities.

This is a farewell to all of the above, and so much more. It is without a doubt the hardest thing I have ever done, and the most important. It takes conviction and a certain level of recklessness to pack a bag and never return.

This is also a hello post. A hello to experience, challenge, and more opportunities than I ever thought possible. Hello to the idea that this life of uncertainty is my own version of "normal" or "real" and that it is a beautiful thing. With the farewell to my old self comes a hello to a new me: a stronger, braver, more empowered me. Here is to hope, passion, and one hell of a wild ride.