Two years ago, I wrote a prayer in my journal asking God for a big adventure- and I've been repeating it ever since. Today, my life is about to look way more adventurous than I ever imagined it to be (hold on tight-because this is going deeper than my typical kind of blog post).
First, let's rewind a bit. I wrote a blog about an epiphany I had while traveling through Cinque Terre last summer after months of really disappointing life events.
To sum it up, I shared how I began to realize that while I wouldn't have chosen any of these circumstances for myself, exciting possibilities were being born because of them all. I recount all sorts of feelings that would overcome me before the terrible things happened: How I wondered if I would ever try living in Europe like I always said I wanted to. If I would travel to the countless places that I wanted to see. If my life would be the series of big, beautiful adventures like I hoped it would be. When life still felt like it was going according to plan, I often felt anxious and far away from all these bigger dreams- but suddenly, any of it seemed possible.
I’ve come to mark that day in Cinque Terre as the day that I really started to believe that sometimes our small plans fall apart so that bigger dreams can prevail.
I’ve never found this to be more true in my life than I have in the last year. God has continued to shut doors, open new ones, and teach me that life with him isn’t about following a safe and predictable roadmap. I’ve learned what it means to let him romance me: following him to new places that seem uncharted or scary, and letting him blow my mind- and I'm ready for more of it.
So I'm moving to Europe for a few months. I have a one way ticket to head there at the beginning of August, and I technically don’t know when I’m coming home yet.
Even typing this, it still doesn’t feel real. It's the kind of thing “other people” do- something I’ve seen in movies. It sounds too wild or too crazy to be happening in my own life- but it is.
Let's start with a little context: every single time I've gone abroad, I’ve never felt ready to come home (even after going 3 times this year for over 10 days at a time). I’ve also had some incredible work opportunities arise recently that are allowing me to go back. And so with all the twists and turns that life's thrown at me to lead me where I am today, I honestly can’t think of a legitimate reason to not stay for a while. So I’m leaning into my own curiosity to see what happens: what places I find that I didn’t even know I wanted to see, what adventures are in store, and to see what life looks like when you throw the rulebook out the window and do the crazy thing you’ve always dreamed about.
As romantic as this all may sound, there’s a lot about life come August that is totally uncertain- and I’d be lying through my teeth if I said I had zero reservations about it. Between some weeks that are going to be glamorous and seamlessly planned out, there are going to be days and weeks where I have no idea where I’ll be, or who I’ll be with whatsoever. And trust me when I say I'm not at the point in life where I can just casually check into a 5 star hotel for weeks at a time on my own dime...
But I’ve learned to leave room in life for that kind of uncertainty, even when it’s terrifying. It’s there where beautiful things happen. And uncertainty for the sake of our heart’s desires is the very best kind- because I believe that God isn’t offended by us chasing after those incredibly wild dreams- he’s offended by us settling for anything less.
My point of writing this post isn’t just to dish my diary on the internet or to brag about any of the places I'm excited to go- it’s to be real with you. In the world of social media, it would be easy to just give you the highlight reel of my trip: all the pictures of the countries I visit as I hop across the globe.
But I believe this isn’t happening because I’m some crazy successful businesswoman or because I’m the luckiest SOB on the planet. It’s happening because I've prayed long and hard for adventure the last two years, and because I decided to say “yes” in spite of uncertainty- trusting God will show up to fill in all those other details. Because he always does.
So I don’t know everything to promise that's coming on the blog when August rolls around, but I can promise it will be full of surprises. I’ll obviously be sharing my travel adventures, creating city guides and recommendations for every place I visit (which is a lot of different places), and I'd love to invite you to follow along on that journey. But I’d also like to invite you to be involved in a greater capacity.
I believe in the power of community and human connection, and one of my greatest desires for this adventure is to make new friends everywhere I go. I’m excited at the thought of all the people in the world I haven’t met yet and who I’ll know in the months to come. So if you know anyone abroad (doesn't matter where) that I should meet: a friend, relative, colleague- whoever, I’d love to be connected. Not because I need people to babysit me, but because I don’t just want to see the world, I want to know the people in it. I'm seeking photographers to help me capture some of my travel content for the blog, locals to share their favorite places with me, and anyone who is a generally good person that enjoys a glass (ahem-bottle) of wine and good conversation. If you have someone in mind, give me a shout at: theblondeatlas@gmail.com
My hope is that this time in Europe will allow me to tell a greater story with my life, and inspire others to do the same. Because all those clichés are true: Life is short. You only get one. If your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough... you've heard them before.
So you can either roll your eyes to all of that and proceed with the monotonous routine you call life, or you can actually start living the life you truly desire- the one God created you to live. I know which of the two I choose.
I have a few more domestic trips between now and August that I'll still be creating travel posts for. I'll also be using a lot of this time to prepare for the months ahead (there's a lot to do) so you can expect to hear about what that process looks like as well. And I have a couple other things up my sleeve that I'm excited to share before I go.
So hold on tight- it's going to be a wild ride. But I'm a big fan of wild these days.
