Wealth

I’m very grateful for the last year of traveling.  It’s hard to believe it’s only been that long. As we’re coming up on that year mark of being on the road, I can say that my bank balance is lower than it’s been at any point in my adult life, but I feel downright wealthy.  I’ve been reflecting on wealth and feel like it includes so much more than money.  

For one, spending my time how I want makes me feel wealthy.  It’s been incredible to have time to sit down and write with my guitar, to read a bunch, to go to events even in the middle of the day, to work on blogs at a cafe, and to go for a walk or a ski.  It’s been fun to wake up when I want to and go to bed when I feel like it. I wake up excited. All this time has also given Mia and I lots of great bonding opportunities. We’ve now spent the majority of our relationship traveling together full time and haven’t gotten sick of each other.  Traveling certainly has come with its own wrinkles to work out, like finding a balance between exploring together and carving out alone time, but we are much closer for it. It’s simple, but not being bound by a schedule has tremendous value.

The incredible range of new life experiences in the last year has also left me feeling wealthy.  Just reflecting on all the places we’ve been this past year, all the places we’ve stayed, things we’ve seen, and things we’ve done adds to this feeling.  We’ve stayed in guest houses in the Himalayas, spent months living walking distance to gorgeous beaches, ventured into the jungle on longboats, climbed Mt Fuji with friends in Japan, and road tripped around Costa Rica with Mia’s mom.  I’ve started getting the most wonderful flashbacks of our travels and it does feel like a dream. There have been highs and lows, but that’s all part of the experience. We’ve stayed in gorgeous places where we’ve felt out of place. We’ve stayed in dingy places bolting out the next morning saying never again.  We’ve discovered new delicious treats like smoothie bowls and lost it giggling sitting across the table from each other playing the what do you think I just ate game. It feels like a lifetime of experiences- years really- but at the same time like it’s passed very quickly. 

Wealth is more than money.  The real wealth is in the time and experiences living the way you want to live.  The real wealth is in moments and memories.  🐾