My goodness, the older I get the more I realize the brilliance of my parents. Growing up they often shared tidbits of wit and wisdom such as, "eat your vegetables, they're good for you", "mind your P's and Q's (not really sure what this one meant)", "don't stare at people", "keep your elbows off the table" and "always wear clean underwear in case you have to go to the emergency room". I always thought that if I'm in the emergency room that I had bigger concerns than the cleanliness of my underwear, although I guess it's good advice to live by even if you don't end up in the ER. One of their most commonly uttered phrases was, "time flies". Truer words were never spoken!
It's hard to believe that today marks three years, or 1,095 days since retirement. I know that what we have chosen to do in retirement isn't "traditional", but it was our goal for a long time, and it's been an amazing journey. Whether you're a regular or occasional reader of this blog, I appreciate you coming along for the ride. I also sincerely hope that it will serve as some source of inspiration for you to get out there and follow your passion, no matter what that passion may be. "Life's short" and "there are no guarantees of tomorrow", more spot on words of wit and wisdom from my parents!
Beth is not only an expert planner, she is also an amazing coach who has on a few occasions had to coach me along that "we can do this". I'll be eternally grateful for having such an amazing life partner to share this journey. Since leaving the keys on the desk, we've traveled to thirty one states and forty one countries. Of the forty one, nineteen were countries that we hadn't previously visited.
There are way too many crazy adventures to begin to recount them all here, but visiting the Taj Mahal, circling Mt. Everest on a rickety plane operated by Air Buddha, watching rhino graze peacefully from the back of an elephant in Nepal, experiencing the beginning and end of Shabbat in Jerusalem, marveling at the archeological sites of Petra, Jordan, cruising into Sydney Harbor, looking down over the incredible ruins of Machu Picchu and piranha fishing in the Amazon jungle are just a few of the highlights. Of course, we could never forget the incredible gift we received on July 9, 2016 when Sweet Baby James arrived on the scene.
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| The Taj Mahal...…...Agra, India |
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| Everest the easy way, from the cozy confines of Air Buddha |
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| Chitwan National Park, Nepal |
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| Petra, Jordan |
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| The Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbor Bridge |
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| Machu Picchu |
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| Piranha fishing in the Amazon. Beth caught one twice as big, but mine was meaner! |
We committed to this vagabond lifestyle for at least three years, so here we are, three years in. It's been a heck of a ride. We're not sure what lies ahead but we're looking forward to continuing the journey. Thanks for sharing it with us.
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| From this...………….. |
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| ……………..to this in just 1024 days! |
