This is my third story reflecting on what it takes to enter a new chapter in life and the amount of effort and work it takes to get there. The decision to retire and liberate oneself from years of accumulating possessions can be exhausting. As creatures of habits, you don’t realize how emotionally attached you become to your possessions and daily rituals. Not letting go is our own internal resistance to embracing change. Once I’ve packed my choice belongings into two 10×10 storage units…what’s next? Here’s the good and the bad in planning for a year-long journey on the road….

“To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.” – Henri Bergson

2023 has entirely been a year of transition preparing for what I hope is nonstop slow traveling for several years. Yes, the photo is the culmination of all of my planning up til the time I leave. This unit is one of two and allows me to have my “go to” place when I am back home each year.

When I look back at what it’s taken me to get to this point, my obsessive-compulsive tendencies immediately kick in. Even as I hop on a plane to Mexico, I still can’t stop thinking what I may have left behind or undone. Could I have benefitted from having more time? Absolutely? But, time is a commodity that’s hard to manage and pushing the date back was not an option. I’m happy to share what this preparation looks like in helping future travelers of any age to plan their bucket list journey, whether it’s a month, three months, or a year. To explain to others how I executed a BHAG (a Big Hairy Audacious Goal) pronounced “Bee Hag,” I have come up with the following five themes, keeping it simple yet real.

Reflection and Closure

At whatever age makes sense to you … at some point you need to stop dreaming and decide how you plan to move forward on a BHAG. Nothing is more powerful than putting your thoughts, ideas and needs to pen and paper. I committed to a two-year work-plan that was continuously updated with every possible task. This made this process easier to execute and less arduous. In my case, this process consists of closing a 38 year consulting practice, preparing a home for sale, downsizing, and storing less than 50% of what I owned. Family and friends were a great help in getting to closure. It certainly helped that by 2022, we were gradually coming out of the pandemic.

Deciding on My Next Best Life

It is hard to plan when you are surrounded by the things you most love and are comfortable in. A little inspiration can go a long way and so planning a trip to a resort at the Lareto Islands in Mexico on January 1st, 2022 was both catharsis and fun. Challenging myself to be a nomad in my 70s as a solo traveler with no permanent home forces you to ponder about a lot of things and their possible consequences.  You will experience a roller coaster of emotions from excitement to nervousness, restlessness and sleepless nights as you go about planning, executing and finally hopping on a plane. A big part of this is making sure that your finances support your goals. In my case, this was much earlier planning that made it reasonably easy with the added sale of my home (financial planners do make a difference).

Bear in mind that I am still working on what is my next best life and how I want my travels to challenge me in leading a more purposeful and creative life.

Recovery …Taking a Break

Transitioning one’s life and giving up what had been your life’s work is very stressful, filling you with uncertainty. You can’t help thinking the worst and the slight possibility of a hiccup that may derail your plans. Fortunately for me, liberating myself of 45+ years of possessions and familiar daily routines occurred without any significant obstacle, just stress, lots of it, added to my lower back and frequent migraines.

Once the house was sold, I became officially homeless, only holding on to the car for the next 12 weeks before letting that go too.

I very much wanted to live in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City, to both recover and to fulfill a bucket list dream. There were still a lot of loose ends that needed to be tied up as well as planning for a year-long journey. But first I needed a six-week break, a reprieve from all the stress. What better place than New York City? It allowed me to discover so much of what makes New York City such a magnet for the rest of the world while connecting with so many friends. For more on what that experience was like, click here.

Getting to the Finish Line 

Six weeks went all too quickly, and although I continued to work on next steps, there was still much that needed to get done. On September 1st, I headed back to New Jersey, picked up my car at Ron and Lisa’s house, along with boxes of stuff and drove to South Jersey.  Although, I did manage to go back to the city to attend two art fairs during the weekend (Click here for my review).

I am originally from South Jersey, where most of my siblings live, and so being home for at least a month was special. I stayed with my sister Doris, who is undergoing chemotherapy for blood cancer treatment. Spending time with her and seeing the trooper that she is in beating this disease was inspiring. Together, we detailed a long list of activities and appointments that included a farewell party with all my siblings and cousins.

Much of my time in South Jersey entailed automating my life from finance to medical to social matters including making sure my taxes will get done next year while on the road. Setting up systems to protect me during my travels, such as ensuring my health and security is not compromised; cancelling subscriptions and accounts; lots of address changes; meeting with my financial planner; engaging with a new primary doctor; organizing my storage unit and selling my car. So many more details that still needed to take place before hopping on a plane. To continue to manage my stress levels, I joined a gym and worked with a trainer to learn to use resistance bands as part of my wellness plan.

Before Jumping on that Plane 

I was unable to do much planning before arriving in Mexico besides booking the flight, lodging and scheduling a driver to pick me up. Early on, I decided to stay in a city that I had some familiarity with to both decompress and allow me the time to plan for the rest of the year. I chose the city of Merida in the Yucatán region, which I scouted in August 2022 during a 10 day stay. Packing was the biggest challenge for me. I was hoping to just take with me a pullman, a carry-on and a backpack. Couldn’t quite make it work and so I checked in two bags besides my carry-on. Hopefully, by next year I will get it down to two bags. I arrived in Merida on October 3 with a blank canvas on what to do next……”And suddenly, you know… It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”–unknown

 

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