Lists and Decisions

            There are so many things to consider when you’re getting ready to travel the world!  Sure, everyone thinks of the usual stuff: passport, vaccinations and a packing list.  What about all the “other” stuff to consider?  I realize just about every day that there is something else I hadn’t yet considered or put on my “to do” list.  Ugh.  Every time another idea pops up, I get this sinking feeling...”what else am I forgetting?”  So far, I’ve only managed to check a few things off of my list.  Worse yet, the list is growing and I’m not keeping up! 

            Things that I’ve had to add to my list that aren’t “normal” trip-planning/packing issues include: travel insurance, maintaining regular prescriptions for a year, ordering more contacts so I have enough for a year, making sure my teeth are cleaned before I go, selling everything (or mostly everything) I own, and registering for donations and gifts.

            Just this morning I realized that although I know my passport is up-to-date, I have no idea where it is!  In the chaos of packing and moving into my mom’s house (yep, you read that right...I’m moving back into the very same room in which I grew up in order to save money for my trip), my place is kind of a disaster.  Guess I better get that issue nailed down soon or I won’t have enough time to get a new passport if I can’t find my old one!

            Again, what else am I forgetting?  I feel better by maintaining lists of the things I need to do or consider, but I fear I haven't had enough time to concentrate on those lists. 

            Moreover, I really need to start working on my packing list.  I’ve read tons of blogs and other pieces of travel information and the lists are always different.  There are many things I know that I absolutely must bring and things I absolutely must leave at home.  But there’s a whole lot of gray about the other things.  *sigh*  Any thoughts you want to share will be appreciated.  Like, it’s really 50/50 as to whether to bring a pair of jeans.  I can’t imagine my life without a pair of jeans.  No, I’m not kidding.  Or, what about an iPad versus a MacBook versus a Netbook, one of which I need for word processing, iTunes storage, photos, and a webcam, and all of which have the capabilities I need (as near as I can tell).

            I am really looking forward to the day when I have successfully completed my move to my mom’s and work is over (two weeks left, baby!) so that I can focus more on my trip planning and research...Oh, and that pasky garage sale I will need to have to sell the rest of my stuff. 

Art

            Some people might say that I’ve become addicted to tattoos (other people would scoff at the  number of tattoos I have in comparison to their plethora of body art).  I currently have seven tattoos.  All of my tattoos have profound meaning to me.  I won’t get into them all here, but suffice it to say that I thought long and hard about each of them and they are all linked together by nature.

            I felt compelled to get my last two tattoos for a number of reasons.  First, I wanted something to represent the positivity that I feel about my journey and my ability to find my way home.  I wanted something to represent that I would be guided on my journey.  Finally, although I already have lots of Christian symbolism on my body, I wanted something that explicitly shows my faith.  After some research, one of the things I settled on was a swallow, which is a small bird not to be confused with the sparrow.  The legend of the swallow is that it is one of the only birds that always finds its way home.  Another thing I settled on was the North Star.  I will need to be guided on my journey; the North Star has long been regarded as the traveler’s guide.  Finally, I needed that symbol of my faith.  A small cross was perfect.  I made sure that it was in brown, not black, to represent the wood upon which Jesus died.  So, voila!  Done!  More art on my body to guide me on my journey, keep me safe throughout my travels and remind me to find my way home.

           While it’s possible that I am slightly addicted to tattoos, I believe that it’s more accurate to say that I am addicted to art and beautiful things.  When I was a kid, my mom would come to the elementary school and teach what they called “Art Literature.”  Some of you may remember her and those classes; some of you may have hated those classes, while others of you loved them as much as I did.  I have been an art addict ever since.  Thank you, mom!  This love of art has taught me that art comes in many forms.  Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder.

            When I travel, I buy a piece of art or a piece of jewelry in every place (plus, if the place has them, a magnet, but that’s another story).  I have a beret from Paris, France, a hand-painted tile from Playa del Carmen, Mexico, a sculpture and a silver bracelet from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, a ring and a necklace from The Bahamas, a gorgeous painting from the Dominican Republic, and a tattoo from Washington, DC, that I got when I couldn’t find a piece of art or jewelry that really spoke to me (appropriately, the tattoo is a globe with a compass transposed over it), to name a few.  These are some of my treasures and they all mean something special to me, like my tattoos. 

             I believe that the art and treasures of another culture, whether they are traditional art or otherwise, speak volumes about the culture and emotions and way of life of those other peoples. The world is full of amazingly beautiful things and people and cultures and I plan to explore that world a little.  I have the feeling that I will pick up a few more treasures throughout my travels and I am sure I will find some pretty amazing representations of the life, culture and emotions of the places I travel.  Don’t worry; I’ll be sure to share at least some of them with you!!  I might, however, have to find some smaller things or I will be mailing stuff home a lot!

Vaccinations -- The Early Rounds

            Before traveling the world, it is generally advisable to get your vaccinations – well, that’s what they say.  I, for one, have decided to take the doctor’s advice and get the recommended immunizations.  Holy crap!  There are a lot of diseases in the world out there!  Goes to show how much further behind the so-called “third world” countries are in terms of the availability of preventative medical care.  Did you know that there are many different diseases that are carried by different kinds of mosquitoes in different parts of the world?  Yikes!  That’s a little scary because I am highly susceptible to mosquito bites.  Those mosquitoes love my Type O blood!  Seriously.  Go look it up.  ;)

            Being highly prone to mosquito bites and having a loving, somewhat worrisome mom mean that I get to have all of those charming vaccinations.  The vaccinations recommended by my doctor include yellow fever (some countries won’t even let you into their country unless you have the vaccine and a special yellow card with proof of vaccination), tetanus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rabies, Japanese encephalitis, malaria, typhoid, and some others.  What fun!  Ugh.

            A couple weeks ago, I received four of these lovely, painful reminders of how “safe” America is from most of the diseases of the world.  My arms still hurt from the shots.  At the time, I also received prescriptions for malaria, typhoid, travel sickness and some other things.  Holy crap that was a HUGE bag of pharmaceuticals!!  I still have to go back for the rabies and Japanese encephalitis and the second dose of the hep A and B.

            This morning I started my typhoid regimen.  One pill every other day for eight days.  The nurse warned me these could make me sick because they contain “live cultures.”  OK, that in and of itself is just creepy.  I have to keep the darn pills refrigerated!  Well, I’m sad to report that the nurse was right.  I feel like crap.  I have a headache, body aches, dizziness, fatigue and one very unhappy tummy.  It’s like a miniature version of the Gremlin Stripe is wreaking havoc inside my body.  No good!  I hope this feeling only happens on the first dose.  If I have to feel like this for the next week, I might punch someone in the face!

The Idea Solidified

            When I started this journey of self-exploration, I had been a practicing lawyer for nearly 13 years.  Well, that’s not true.  This journey began over three years ago.  I didn’t realize at the time that it was the beginning of a much bigger adventure, and I had no idea where it would take me.  Little did I know that my journey would lead me to a decision of such profound proportions.

            As I contemplated from where I’d come and what I’d accomplished, I realized that I had achieved my life’s goals, which were fairly uninspired – you know, good grades, a résumé full of interesting things, a good job practicing law and ultimately making partner – but the problem was that I never planned for what would happen after achieving those goals.  I found myself wasting away in an unhappy life, behind an unhappy desk, working an unhappy job and filling my social calendar to avoid too much introspection.  Busy people are happy people, right?  I’d achieved so much and received so many blessings (hurdles and tragedies too, of course) and honestly believed that I should be able to find happiness.  The truth is, however, that I had felt dissatisfied and uninspired for several years. 

            A crossroads.  No direction.  Where to go from here?  Practicing law is about the only thing I’d known.  Now what?  To answer that question, I embarked on a quest to discover what I DO like and what I DO want.           Trust me, that’s a scary thing to do.  So, I slowed down and reflected more.  In the quiet moments, I could see my life from 10,000 feet in the air and avoid the distractions of daily life.

            While pondering the question of “now what?” and crying a few tears of frustration, it hit me!  I felt like I’d just gotten smacked in the forehead by The Incredible Hulk.  You know that sudden realization when the thing about which you’ve been dreaming can actually be a reality?  The moment when time stops and that little guy on your shoulder screams, “Hey, idiot!  Pay attention!  I’m talking to you!  And what I’m telling you is to stop worrying about it, and just do it!” 

            The thing about which I’d been dreaming was traveling the world and writing a book or two or three, maybe a blog too.  But on that day, I realized that what had been holding me back was the notion that it was a selfish thing to consider (giving up a career for the sake of some wanderlust or something like that), but I also realized it didn’t need to be selfish.  The truth is, my soul had been screaming to give back.  I’ve known for years that the most powerful thing in life is the reward received when giving.  In that instant, I made a decision: I was going to travel the world, give back to humanity, and write all the words that filled my heart. 

            Having made the decision, I felt remarkable.  I felt liberated from the tangled web of pain, lies, drama, work, tediousness, anger, hate and dissatisfaction that had been plaguing my mind for over three years. 

            Wow!  I need this.  I need this like a plant needs water, like a farmer needs seeds, like a turtle needs a shell and like a congregation needs a pastor.  Get it?  I need this journey so badly that it will ultimately provide me all the necessary things in life: water, sustenance, shelter and spirituality.  Soul rejuvenation at its finest!  So, I’m going to take the time to do it.  If I don’t, I will be just another one of those discontent souls bumbling through life, waiting for something to happen.  I cannot wait for my life to simply happen.  Not anymore.  I am going to seize my life and LIVE it!

            My departure is just less than three months away and I can feel the excitement building!  I can taste it!  The planning is underway and I could not be happier (ask anyone, they’ll tell you they can see it on my face and feel it in my aura).  So, here we go!