Today I embark on a six day journey (including 21 hours of flying with a 2.5 year old!) to reach our new home for the next four months: Sydney, Australia. We’re stopping in LA for the weekend to see some of my best friends before the dreaded 15 hour flight on Monday. And Tuesday? It just gets wiped off the map! Thanks to the International Dateline, I will have no August 20th in 2013…leave on Monday, land on Wednesday. Good thing it’s not my birthday.
While thinking about this new adventure, I was reminded of my old obsession with quotable magnets. I used to travel to LAX a lot for work, and during each visit, I’d find my 23-year-old self in the card shop in the American Airlines terminal, reading through the rack of clichéd quotes and purchasing the one that most inspired me that day. Obviously, I was the picture of optimism and inspiration as my magnet collection grew (note sarcasm). But I still have several, and one of my favorites is this:
Life is short, break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that made you laugh. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
-Mark Twain
Thank you Mark Twain (Hartford, CT Pride). I’d like to think that I’m throwing off that bow line, sailing away from what’s comfortable and easy, and planning to explore and discover what Australia has to offer our young family for four months. That is, if I ever finish packing. Back to it! It wasn’t the easiest decision to uproot for four months, but it was the choice that wouldn’t cause regrets. I’m certain that my camera will enjoy the journey, so stay tuned for updates from Down Under, and feel free to subscribe above to receive posts as I write them from fourteen hours ahead of the East Coast. Cheers!
