One year ago, right about this time, Natalie and I slowly drifted off to sleep on an overnight flight, crossing the international date line, and woke up in Auckland, New Zealand to begin what would be an epic, 100 day travel adventure that would change our lives.
Though many people like to tackle new year’s resolutions in the last week of December, only to recommit, alter, update, and eventually let them fail within the first few weeks of January, I figured it was time for something a little different. Since it has been a year since the official start of “The Next Journey”, I thought it would be a great chance to reflect on what has been accomplished and open the conversation for where the next 365 days will take us all.
In the last year:
- We logged over 65,000 miles of travel to more than a dozen different countries (travel)
- Said goodbye to one company and hello to another (career)
- Got certified as Foster Parents in the state of California (family)
- Started the process towards domestic infant adoption (family)
- Set up and saved substantially towards the next set of goals (finance)
In this day and age of instant gratification, where we measure progress and judge success and failure in seconds, minutes, and hours, I am proposing a shift in mindset, a change in paradigm, and a fundamental flip of conventional thinking.
For a long while, I seemed to be caught up in short-term objectives and expectations, and just as they occurred and were achieved, the pride that came along with that seemed to fade just as quickly. Looking back at the last year though, taking in the realities of an entire year of experiences, opportunities, and accomplishments, the impact was more substantial, the satisfaction greater, and it is just more enjoyable overall.
Rather than focusing on one moment of exceptional joy or one moment of searing defeat, these are neither forgotten or tossed aside, but rather incorporated into a larger running average of all of the experiences that ultimately culminate in an overall successful, memorable, and positive addition to the journey.
So… What will the next year bring to my journey? A family friend has reminded me of the importance and the benefits of lists, so I have decided to follow her lead and develop a list for the next year. Some of the items will be simplistic, while others may require some out of the box thinking. Others may not be possible to achieve, but if they aren’t even put on the list, they have no chance of happening. And sometimes, the journey involved even if the item isn’t crossed off, is worth more than the item itself.
My List for Year 2 of “The Next Journey”
> 37 Days of Travel (10% of the year)
(Near or far, the journey will always bring us new and interesting places)
> Read 12 Books
(For those of you that know how much I read, this is a huge stretch)
> Turn $100 into $1000 to support a cause(s)
(Support a cause that is important to me and multiply its impact for others)
> Get fluent in Sign Language or Spanish
(So I can hold an intelligent conversation in some language other than English)
> Answer 100 travel questions via “The Next Journey”
(Had no idea our posts would get read as much as they have!)
> Skydive
(Indoor or Outdoor… That is the question!)
> Become a dad again
(If its not on the list, it doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell)
> Be in the best shape of my life to keep up with a new kid
(So I can keep up with the sleep schedule and demands of a newborn)
> Find a Ballpit and do this
(And yes, I will say “Bazinga” the entire time!)
> “To Be Added”
(The brilliance of the journey is that some of the best things to happen are not yet known)
What is in store for you in the next year?
What would you like to include in your journey 365 days from now?
Travel, family, career, challenge, knowledge, wealth, health?
The journey continues… Thanks for being a part of ours…
What an ambious individual you are! My list is very short–but, of course, we have to consider the age difference! Are you going skydiving with me? I have a wonderful book for you to read–just finished it–it will take about an hour and a half to read. You’ll love it–it was written by one of my Godchildren–Kim Kosach, writing under the name of J. Kimberly Thomas–Isolated Incidents, A Year in the Inner City. Good Luck with your list!!! Love you–Aunt Mickey
Wow…outstanding question.
I would like to also get myself in the best shape I have been in over 10 years.
I would like to hear the good news that one of my Brothers beats Cancer. I would like God to take care of my Oldest Brother in the way that he wants, letting him suffer no longer and I would like for my next Brother to find the answer to his sufferings soon as I know he is suffering bad with no answers to why.
I would like our business to grow even more than it has, but at the same time the more it grows the more I can give to our community and that is what it’s all about.
I ask the Good Lord to grant all my relatives their wishes for happiness, good health and and that they will have peace of mind in the next 365 days.
I would like to put in a little more traveling for us in the next 365 days.
I would love for Jorge to get a full time job that will bring us a little more money, but I’m also thankful that he has sent him a job helping a boy in special needs even if it is only part time, he has learned so much about working with special need children and for this we are thankful.
I’m also thankful that you gave me a lot to think about with the question “what would you like to happen in the next 365 days. I have to work on that.
Love you,
Aunt Pat
Darin and Natalie,
I just want you both to know how much I admire your journey, how thankful I am that you are sharing you life with us, and how inspired I am reading it.
God bless you both with your adoption and I wlll be taking time to make my list as well.
So much love sent from Arizona to the both of you! Love you Barb