Don't be afraid to wander.

“Don't be afraid to wander. Don't be afraid to not have a plan. Don't be afraid to just keep putting one foot in front of the other and see where life takes you. My journeys, both in overall life and in hiking/traveling are always so much more than I ever dreamed simply because I make very few plans and go where the universe leads. ⁠

⁠

Have faith that you will end up exactly where you need to be. Where you are meant to be is likely so much grander than whatever you were planning in the first place. And even if it's not, it's all about the adventure.”

I wrote this in a recent Happy People Hike instagram post. I originally was posting about literally just wandering and going wherever and all the cool things you can find, but it quickly became a legit metaphor for my life. I’ve never really had a plan. If you had asked me if this is where I’d be 10/20/30 years ago, I would have been very wrong. I knew all the right things to say. . .a good job, a house, a family. . .but that’s not how I felt and that’s not how I lived out my days. I went where the wind took me. I followed whatever felt right at that time. I said no if it didn’t feel right and I walked forward if it felt OK. (Not all of the time. I definitely say yes to a lot of stupid shit.)

I didn’t realize I was doing that until recently. I’m really good at getting what I want. I don’t say that to sound cocky, it’s more of a stubborn thing. I will put forth whatever effort and work is required until I get whatever I have my heart set on. And with my various careers and life that people see on Instagram, you’d think I had this big beautiful dream from the start. I didn’t. I changed my major in college about 10 times and had no clue why I even went to college. I took whatever job sounded nice at the time and I just kept moving forward with whatever felt right. My first taste of real estate I made the comment that it was awful and I would never want to be a Realtor. And yet, here I am. 

Given where things are in my personal life (pending divorce - yeah, surprise to those who don’t know yet!), it might be easy to think this didn’t work out in my favor. I couldn’t disagree more. My marriage was one of the most successful and fulfilling chapters of my life. It has simply come to an end. We’re moving in exactly the direction we’re meant to be moving in, still together but not in the same capacity. And I am finally fully embracing the beauty of having no plans and no expectations and accepting what is and where life wants me to go.

We’re told by so many people. . .family, friends, society, culture. . .about what success is and what you should strive for and how to be happy. What if we just said fuck it and followed what felt right for us? I don’t honestly know how I got to the point where I am ok with the whole "fuck it, I’m doing me" thing, but I can tell you it feels so much better to live in alignment with my true soul then living up to everyone else's expectations. Everything that makes me happy, fulfilled and content is not what traditional society deems normal and acceptable. And you know what? Not my problem. As a recent Instagram meme stated, it’s my job to be me and the rest of the world can adjust. So there ya go world, figure your own shit out. 

Since this year is a total shit show anyways, I’d challenge every single one of us to spend some time truly reflecting on where we are in life and how we got there. Was it what you wanted? Was it where you felt lead? Or was it what you were told you were supposed to do and you’re living out someone else’s expectations of you. I’d suspect if we all were willing to let go of control and let go of whatever picture we have in our heads of how life is “supposed” to be, we’d all end up on an insanely beautiful journey of finding out exactly who we are and why we are here. Don’t be afraid to make very big changes. Others won’t always understand. And they don’t need to. You do you, because that’s what the world needs. People who are willing to live into who they really are and what their soul's purpose is.  Let go, have faith, and enjoy the ride.