The Road Less Traveled

I had a mini panic attack this morning when I realized that I leave for Spain next Saturday! Where did this summer go?! My mind immediately was filled with all of the things I still have to do before I leave- appointments, shopping, packing, seeing friends and family, etc. Still despite my hectic state I could not stop smiling. After all of the anticipation, it's almost here!

I can't help but feel like my life is in a way similar to Elizabeth Gilbert's story in Eat. Pray. Love. This is one of my favorite books and, in my opinion, the movie was a great representation of the book (some people may beg to differ, but I enjoyed it). The book reflects the life of Elizabeth Gilbert, a middle aged woman who left for a year abroad following a nasty divorce. I know I know, I am neither middle aged nor divorced but our stories have strikingly similar details. She spends a year abroad; four months in Italy learning Italian and seeking pleasure from food, friends and family; four months in India seeking devotion, balance, and prayer; and four months in Indonesia seeking love through meditation, nature, and people. Her story is inspirational to me. She took a hold of her life and through serious reflection she chased after what she believed would bring balance and happiness to her life. I have nothing but respect for her bravery to pick up and leave behind the world that she knows in order to see light from a different angle. My favorite excerpt from the book is a quote about travel. She writes it so eloquently and it's so precise to my heart.

"Still, despite all this, traveling is the great true love of my life. I have always felt, ever since I was sixteen years old and first went to Russia with my saved-up babysitting money, that to travel is worth any cost or sacrifice. I am loyal and constant in my love for travel, as I have not always been loyal and constant in my other loves. I feel about travel the way a happy new mother feels about her impossible, colicky, restless, newborn baby--I just don't care what it puts me through. Because I adore it. Because it's mine. Because it looks exactly like me."
- Elizabeth Gilbert, "Eat. Pray. Love."

Her story was so different than that of her friends. My life right now looks very different from that of my college friends. Most have settled into 9-5 jobs, some have continued their education into graduate school, some have married, and some are still searching for the next step. Here I am about to spend nine+ months in another country to teach English in a primary school. Am I crazy? Have I lost my mind completely? My brain is always the one that doubts, but my heart never leads me astray. I am following my heart and I know that this year is going to be the most influential year of my life.

I've never been attracted to the "American Dream" style of life. I've always wanted life outside of the box- too curious to live confined by four walls. I am choosing the path less traveled by...and I know that it is going to make all the difference.