Flying The Nest

In one month today my beautiful fiancé and I are embarking on a journey many years in the making. I like to think that both our lives are an accumulation of experiences and ideas that have been leading up to this flight from Sydney to Madrid (by way of Hong Kong) but I feel the need to place less weight on this trip, and what I honestly hope are revelations about how we want to live our lives, and where we want to “end up”, as if ending up somewhere was some sort of ideal end goal.

The closer we get to leaving, the more I need to remind myself that this once in a lifetime event is going to be whatever we make of it, no more and no less. Putting endless pressure on myself to “figure it out”, whatever “it” is, cannot possibly aid us in having the truly authentic experiences that which make change and realisation inevitable.

I’m nervous about leaving our families, friends and Jervis Bay behind, but I feel that moving down the coast, three hours from our loved ones, will make moving even further away somewhat easier. Especially considering our return date is very undefined, if, sorry mum(s), at all.

We’re breaking the hearts of our mothers by eloping on the north east coast of Spain in 5 weeks. We’ve known for the duration of our 11+ year relationship that a traditional wedding isn’t for us, and while our love for each other is undying, we don’t need to prove that in front of our nearest and dearest. Rather, it makes more sense setting off on an adventure that would prove otherwise unattainable due to wedding costs.

After eloping near Girona, we’ll spend a week on Mallorca, a small island between Spain and Italy, then return to the mainland and make our way to Madrid where we’ll board a flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

I naively decided I wanted to “travel” Latin America many years ago, when I first became interested in the ancient Mayan, Aztec and Incan cultures, without having any concept of the absolute scale of the continent. In fact, after studying the various countries that make up Latin America, and discovering some of what they have to offer, I don’t believe I’ll ever be able to comprehend just how enormous this part of the world truly is. Bloody Brazil alone is bigger than Australia, and I’ve seen very little of my home country as it is. In fact, I just worked out that the distance from the top of Mexico to the bottom of Chile is about 2.4x the width of Australia. Yeah, we’re just bouncing over to Latin America for quick getaway.

I can only begin to imagine the things we will see and experience, the wildlife and people we’ll come across, the fantastic and freakish food we’ll eat, and the wonderful and wild places we’ll stay. I have never been so excited and ready for anything in my entire life. I need this journey. I need to see what’s out there, in order to grow and be the best version of myself for the people around me.

Above all, I think I’m the most excited to really attain a sense of freedom. To feel free to go wherever we choose, and stay for as long as we like (foreign governments allowing). Just to have time to not have to go to work for a while, to simultaneously have nowhere and everywhere to be, and be in those places with my best friend sounds like I’ve been dealt the absolute best hand in the world.

To be in such a fortunate position is why I’m placing so much weight on having this trip change something within me. To not learn, grow and realise what it is I truly want in my life, and for my family’s future, to return to Jervis Bay and call up the guys at work to see what the latest landscaping opportunities are around Berry, I can’t help thinking, would be a massive waste of a prime opportunity.

Again, this will be whatever we make of it. There’s an insanely long road ahead of us before I should even begin thinking about where my next pay check will come from, and whether or not it can be part of a fruitful career.

Step one. Get through one more month.

Step two. Get the hell on that plane.

Step three. Chill out.