Taking the Offbeat Path

Ever since I graduated college, the thought of starting a "real" job makes me squirm- so much more than I thought it would. I'd never really thought of myself as one of those people adamant on rejecting mainstream and traditional living. That seemed like it was only for people who live in tiny homes and refuse to buy smartphones and do other offbeat things that most people think are unnecessary. It all seemed more radical and devoted to individuality than I thought I was.

But the more I imagine myself heading into a "normal" 9-5 lifestyle with bills to pay and corporate ladders to climb, the more I find myself desperate for something different.

Maybe someday I'll outgrow this- this strange impulse to be different- and I'll find the idea of a salary and a stable retirement plan right and good and comfortable. But right now, I don't. Right now I need to find a different way to live life, even if it scares me and makes me more uncomfortable than I ever wished to be.

That's part of what led me to the World Race- this crazy, wild, adventurous trip around the world that will take every ounce of determination and bravery I have. But isn't that exactly the kind of thing worth doing- the different thing, the scary thing, the thing that'll change your life forever?

Most of the time, it still seems terrifying and too different and uncomfortable to be in this waiting season as I prepare for it. But then I remember that I'm not the only person in the world choosing to do something a little unexpected and defy tradition. That's why I love reading stories about crazy adventurers out there who've done things like the World Race. Like people who travel the world for a year with their families and make a point to do it with simplicity. Or people who move to Uganda indefinitely to adopt a child because their hearts beat for orphans. Or people who leave their homes and travel the country for an entire year in a trailer.

Those are the kind of stories that have been speaking to me lately, the kind that inspire me and remind me that it's not as crazy as it sounds to do something completely out of the ordinary. They're the kind of stories I want to tell someday, the kind of person I want to believe that I can be. I want to run toward my dreams, even if I stumble along the way. Even if it's not always as perfect as I thought it'd be.

What matters is that it will be worth it. Doing the crazy, different, meaningful thing usually is.

#2015 #life