The Great Trip

Nomad (no-Mad): A person who is not angry about not having a home.

I was recently asked by a friend,

“How are you feeling after a month and a half of being on the road?”

Well, honestly, has it been that long already? One of the most amazing things about a life is that you just keep on living it until you stop. It really seems obvious when you look at it from this side of the fence. Before we left for the trip there was a flurry of activity keeping us engaged, and for me part of that was trying to keep from thinking about the unknown ahead. The first real post I did discussed how I had had a very hard time being excited about the trip because of all the trepidation concerning the unknown ahead.

Having been into this endeavor for just under eight weeks, I can happily report that both Anissa and I have become truly excited about our current and coming travels. It seems that for us, New Zealand was the perfect place to start this journey, a very good place to blow the cobwebs out of our heads and start thinking clearly about what we are doing. Things are just different enough here in NZ to help us realize we are not in Kansas anymore, but not so different that we want to run home crying to our mommies (sorry Moms). The most surprising thing that I have taken to heart so far is that, no matter where I go, there I am.

I have looked through tinted glasses at myself in the mirror for most of my adult life; the tints have changed, often depending on whom you ask, from Volleyball Guy to Café Guy then onto Computer Guy with a lot of Husband Guy thrown in at the correct time. Now for the first time I can remember, I am attempting to look at myself as just a guy. In the last two months I can count on one hand the number of times I have put any type of styling “product” in my hair. The clothes that have helped me define my Guyness through the years are now in storage somewhere in the LA metro and I am traveling around without a costume to define me. Have no fear dear reader; I am not doing this naked, this is not a horror story.

I had to come to grips with the fact that I don’t look like a Calvin Kline underwear model, that the hairs in my head are gray and not just really white blonde, and hardest of all to cope with, even Anissa gets tired of my rye wit after a while. Everyday I look at a (mostly) unfiltered view of who I am. The first few weeks were really tough. Think of this: catching a look at a naked, fat guy in the mirror on your way to an early morning bladder relief, then realizing that it is you. Normally, you have the opportunity to go back to sleep and forget that it happened, waking with tinted lenses to view the world, but what if you were wide awake staring in disbelief at the person in the mirror. That is a very good approximation of the feelings that called me to action. Now, I no longer startle at seeing the fat and graying man in the mirror; I get up in the morning and do 50 pushups and 100 sit-ups (40 of each really, but I am working on more). I have more time than money these days so it is easier to make a physical change than it is to go buy a $160.00 pair of jeans and a $75.00 tee-shirt and just feel stylish — and happily round.

So, what is the hardest part of extended travel for me? To call upon that old cliché again (would you expect any less from me): Wherever you go, there you are! The second hardest part is a little harder to explain: Anissa and I don’t miss being back home, neither of us has really missed having a home to go home to. Both of us have had tears in our eyes wanting you here with us. Your presence is dearly missed. We want you here with us.

We are having an amazing time! I hope the stories and pictures are sharing with you a fraction of the joy and marvelous things we are experiencing. Anissa and I are living proof that “home is where the heart is”. Our hearts are with each other, and each night in a new place has not diminished that. We both miss being with you and look forward to sharing time again soon. Until then, thank God for Email and The Web.



Cheers till then.

Rion and Anissa 

posted by Rion and Anissa @ 4:19 AM