Pictured above: Kayaking while in Brampton, Canada

I pulled the first all-nighter in nearly 25 years in the 24 hours before I needed to vacate my condo as preparation for my “vagabond adventure.” After donating a ton of stuff as well as selling some furniture, I finally finished putting everything else in storage. I was fortunate to receive support from friends, family, and neighbors who helped me get ready for this trip.

After catching a flight to Michigan for a Celebration of Life gathering to honor a cousin who passed away last year, the official start to my vagabond adventure began in earnest in NYC. I was able to see an old friend as well as a couple cousins I hadn’t seen in decades! From there I traveled to New England and Eastern Canada, then a brief visit back to SoCal to see my son and continuing up the coast to the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada where I visited additional family members and friends I haven’t seen in 10–20–30 years. What a thrill it’s been!

Despite all the thrills, my trip has also been filled with many unfortunate twists and turns along the way. I’ve been on the road for nearly two months now and vividly remember the morning I showed up at the Amtrak station in Santa Barbara to take a romantic train ride all the way up the coast. I was ecstatic about taking in the majestic ocean views along the way while starting on my next book. Imagine my surprise when about 10 minutes before I was to board, the Amtrak agent informed me that I would actually be on a bus that they arranged instead…during rush hour no less!

One of the most significant disappointments of my trip was just a few hours before boarding a plane to visit my best friend in Spokane. I received a message that his six year-old son had tested positive for Covid-19 and would need to quarantine (his son has since fully recovered). Needless to say, I canceled my flight and scrambled to figure out where I was going to stay that night and where to go next. There have been numerous additional instances where plans to visit friends in other locations being dashed due to schedules and logistical challenges.

Yet sometimes things turn out better than expected or conceived. For example, I connected with an author friend while visiting Santa Barbara. Much to my surprise and delight, I learned she was living on a boat in the harbor. My jaw dropped with disbelief when I was invited to stay in a spare bedroom on her boat. This in turn led to a spontaneous whale watching tour through the Channel Islands where we were treated to over a dozen magnificent humpback whales and hundreds of dolphins and seals cavorting to and fro. To top it off, I was serendipitously and generously offered a free flight on Southwest Airlines for the next leg of my adventure.

One of the greatest areas of growth for living my “best life” is learning to better deal with disappointment and letting go of expectations. This has often been my Achilles heel. I tend to become wholly invested in an idea, interaction, or initiative. While we can envision and become enthralled with what we anticipate will be a most quintessential experience, we ultimately don’t have control over all the variables. It’s only natural to feel let down when things don’t materialize as planned.

A chance encounter with a fellow vagabond traveler on a NYC subway, Andrea, foreshadowed the lesson that was to come. She’s also a coach who’s been traveling the country continuously for 2½ years! When I asked her what her biggest lessons were, without hesitation she said something to the effect of “pack light and hold your plans loosely.” Andrea went on to explain that being light and flexible enabled her to take advantage of unforeseen opportunities as they arose.

I’ve found Andrea’s wisdom to be true for me as I’ve put this mindset into practice. It’s enabling me to more easily let go, pivot and move on when disappointments arise and to look forward to an alternate adventure that awaits my discovery.

How about you? What are your disappointments and upsets? How do you get over them?

#vagaventures #bestlife #emptynester #singledad #remotework