When Kari and I first started talking about this crazy idea that turned into epoch48, we naively thought that we must be the only ones to have dreamed of something so crazy. That we were going to accomplish something that no family has accomplished before. And that we were doing it for great reasons. Enter perspective…
One of the things we really wanted to do with this trip, beyond all the “us stuff”, was to inspire people. How could anyone not want to do what we were about to do? So we looked for ways to reach people. How do you reach a lot of people you don’t know? You got it, social media. So we created accounts on all the usual suspects, including Instagram.
Then we start searching around for people who might share our passion for this unusual life. To our surprise, there were some. Not just some, but a bunch. Or maybe a LOT. What? Is? Going? On? Here? How could all of these people have stolen our idea?!? Or worse, did we steal theirs? This cannot be. Are we not originals? Are we copycats? The walls were closing in…
Well, not really. That was dramatic. It was actually pretty cool. We have found hundreds of people who have ditched the norm and have stepped out to live an unconventional life with their families. And it has inspired us. And motivated us. I mean really? Why don’t we just leave tomorrow?!? Enter more perspective.
Scrolling mindlessly through our feed, somehow I caught glimpse of a photo of a family. I’m not sure why, but I read the little blurb below the photo and my world changed just a little. Or a lot. I guess it’s still to be determined. But here is what it said.
“Was talking to a lady today who told me that if her husband ever got a disease, their plan was to ditch reality and travel the world and I was like… “That’s my LIFE and it’s pretty awesome!””
That caught my attention. These people were too young to have that story. Then I saw the hashtag. #parkinsons. It hit me. How grateful should I be that our family is taking this trip for no REAL reason. Or maybe better put, no reason as REAL as Parkinson’s… Sure, remembering how to be an actual human being after so many years in business is important, maybe imperative, but it truly is nothing compared to what I had just stumbled upon. So I dug deeper, and I almost cried. Here is what I found.
It was a photo of a Dad and his son, arms around each other. But it was taken at a time when the Dad did not know what would be known only one year in the future. A time when the son thought Dad was indestructible.
“Carter didn’t know his dad, his hero, his buddy would soon get severe depression, and later a disease diagnosis changing him from “the old dad” to “the new dad.””
That hit me hard. Again. Parkinson’s is REAL. How grateful should I be that our family is taking this trip for no REAL reason. Honestly, it could be a very different story. A little over a year ago, my wife could have died. Ironically, from something she contracted while we were traveling. She was in the ER with a severe infection of her entire GI tract. We found out that she was septic. Borderline septic shock. We had no idea what any of this meant. A few Google searches and my stomach dropped. This was REAL.
Without going too far down that tale of chaos, for the purpose of this writing, I am so thankful. I am thankful that my wife is still here to enjoy this crazy epoch48 adventure. Fully recovered from that incident. I am thankful that we are not doing this because we need to “Live like we were dying”. I am thankful that we are not doing this because of any financial stress. I am thankful that we are not doing this for any REAL reason. I am thankful that as a family, we can set aside a year of our life to enjoy life. To take in the beautiful creation that is the United States. To find out who we are now, and who we are going to be a year from now. Thankful that our extended family is happy and healthy, that we really don’t have any worries of bad things happening while we are gone. I am thankful for the timing of everything. We could never have planned to be in this place even if we tried. I am thankful.
My heart breaks when I see that photo of that boy and his Dad. But I am thankful for the perspective that it has given me for our trip that hasn’t even started yet. As I begin to process everything it signifies, the one thing I already know is this.
I am thankful.
“Because this year-long adventure of ours will give back to our kids some memories of dad that will be full of life, and excitement of new places so that maybe one day they can look back and remember that when they were young, their dad showed them the world.” – The Flory Story