I started working when I was 15. It was a cool job of working in a pizza joint. That was the beginning of the rest of my working life. Life moved on and I moved right along with it. I had a family and great jobs. I moved all over the place. My family changed and the scenery changed. I was single again and found that work was my one true constant in life.
That was 15 years ago now that I had come to that realization. I spent the next decade and a half working. Vacations were non existent. I had to work and pay bills and support my kids. I didn’t have time to take off more then a day or two to go camping.
When I met Amy the world changed and I suddenly was thinking about something other then work. We had only been dating a few weeks when she invited me to go along with her and the parental units to Disneyland. I was kind of shocked. The first thing that came through my head was “I cant leave work for that long”. I told her I would think about it. Amy asked me when the last vacation I took was? I had to think for a few minutes, calculate on my hands and then I realized I had to use my toes to keep the count right. It had been 30 years since I had been on a real vacation! I can tell you that it was unbelievable to me that I had not gone to disneyland since the summer of 1985. I went with My parents, my brothers Robby, Gordy, and Abe. I can remember most of the things about that trip like it was yesterday. Robby breaking his toe racing to the shuttle for Disneyland. Riding Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain as many times as we could.
That was it I was going to Disneyland after 30 years. It seemed fitting that the last vacation I was on was to Disneyland. We planned and I got the time off from work. I saved money and we worked hard on preparing everything we could. We were going to rent an RV and travel the open road to Mickeys House!
When the day came I woke up super excited. I felt like I was 14 again. Ready to spend the next week just playing with almost no responsibilities like I was that mullet topped, knee high sock, LA Gear Hitop wearing kid. It was a week of freedom. The trip was what I needed.
What I needed you ask? Yes! The simple act of leaving behind the daily responsibilities of being an adult allowed me to enjoy the moment. It allowed me to not sweat the small stuff. I was able to sit back and not feel the pressure of work performance, deadlines, Bills, Drama, and all the other things that come with everyday life that make us turn into Zombies.
When we returned home it was different for me. I no longer needed to work to live. I had changed my mindset. Now I worked to support my life. I made a promise to Amy that we would take a vacation every year if not more then one. So far we are ahead of the game. In two years we have gone on four distinct vacations and several Three Day Weekend trips. Over the next year we are getting married and plan to take three more vacations. Amy has always wanted to get married on a cruise. Yep…were getting married on a cruise ship by a captain.
To Travel or not to Travel? To travel is to live. Don’t let life pass you by thinking that you will go on vacation next year. Make it a reality. Take time for yourself.
My Favorite quote is by an anonymous person.
“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.”
Live life like its an adventure.
moonlight tours 