Walking home from the grocery store, up the steepest hill in the known universe, I stopped to take a break. With my bell peppers and beer safely in a grocery bag, I canβt help but look south towards St. Croix. Then west towards St. Thomas. Then uphill, towards my apartment. Yeah, MY apartment. Living on St. John was a dream Iβd had for years, and only I could reach it.
So thatβs exactly what I did.
The Beginning
In June, 2018, I sold everything I owned and bought a one-way ticket to the Caribbean. I got rid of everything that I hadnβt used in the last two weeks; if I could go two weeks without it, I could go months without it. I packed a bag and brought my dog in tow, my bank account having enough money to pay for two weeks in an AirBnB before I was left with only enough to buy a plane ticket back. Two days before I left however, I placed a deposit on Craigslist for an apartment I had never seen, on an island I had never been to, up a hill I had never walked.
Which brings me to my brief, inconsequential pause headed home from work, gazing out over the Caribbean that weeks before I thought I may never see. The life Iβd dreamed of, made right in front of me.
The Journey
Three years to the day and Iβm still on an adventure. Iβve been around Australia, road-tripped over 15,000 miles through 27 states, lived in St. John, St. Thomas, Texas, and North Carolina, and started a website.
Iβm spending this summer in Corolla, at the very northern edge of The Outer Banks of North Carolina. Itβs my second summer as a tour driver for an off-road adventure company, going to see wild Banker Spanish Mustangs that roam freely through a few protected areas.
At the end of July, Iβll be taking a hybrid Wilderness First Responder course to help prepare me for my next adventure. You can find periodic updates here.
But June 27th will always be a big day for me. Its my Adventureversary.
Life
Life is a question with no answer. Embrace it. Take a leap. Buy that ticket. Throw caution to the wind. Go on an adventure.
If youβre still reading this, thank you. The Live Lost will be epic. Stick around.
Enjoy following your adventures! A dream many have but few take the steps to achieve. Safe travels!