Observations & thoughts from 8 months on the road

We’ve been home for almost three weeks now and in some ways it feels surreal to think that we just spent the last 8 months living on the road. I can still vividly picture the day in September when we stood in the driveway and took the picture of us all loaded up. If nothing else, 8 months flew by. I am grateful that we have this site to help bring it back to life and keep the memories accessible.

We set off on our road trip for a number of reasons:

• Tim and I were burnt out from work, life and all of the juggling that came with it
• We were craving more play time
• Hunter is getting older every day and really notices when we are not “present” and this was starting to have an impact on him
• WHY NOT NOW!!!

So – 36,000 km, many new tires and 8 months later and here we are…

After “what was your favourite thing”, the next most popular question that we get is “are you glad to be home”? My answer is that I’m not sad to be home and I’m not glad to be home, I’m just home and excited for what is to come!

I LOVED being on the road, for a number of reasons… If you were to ask Tim, he’d say it’s because I am all about “new” and there is some truth to that – there are just so many things to see, do and experience in the world, why on earth would you want to do the same ones over and over and over??? And yet, I do enjoy and appreciate a sense of routine and often found great joy in getting to know somewhere new (not just a quick in and out) and experiencing the nuances and routines of those different places. Just so much to learn in this world!

Some of the best parts of being on the road were:

• We smiled and giggled more than we had in ages (and we weren’t really a grumpy house to begin with) and just had FUN
• Learning to be in harmony with each other. As hokie as that sounds, it is about giving everyone their space, being empathetic and yet also being there to help and support each other. Nothing like trying to have a foot stomping rant about something and just being hugged in response. That sure changes the dynamics fast.
• Teamwork – acting as one unit vs three individuals and knowing that you didn’t have to do everything yourself
• living in the moment and letting go of the need to plan everything
• taking the moment to BREATHE, slow down and create space for ourselves to think

We have this wonderful shared basket of memories that we already finding ourselves using as framework references when in another situation. They mean so much to us and nothing to anyone else and that makes them extra special.

We learned that some days “Chasing the Sun” was more literal than philosophical and that patience plays a big role in life. Bad weather always gives way to good if you can wait it out. How you wait it out makes all the difference in the world.

Our biggest learning is the validation that we don’t want to go back to the old “normal” and that we have the ability to define our new “normal”. So far that has entailed the clarity that we don’t want to work as much as we used to, that we need to ensure we have family fun time every day and that we want adventure to be an ongoing part of our life. We are also working on being open to the questions that we find ourselves seeking answers to. I am already catching myself slipping back into “busy” and just remind myself to breathe and that I don’t have to feel that way – it is soooo freeing!

More to come as we continue to embrace adventure in our every day and contemplate the road ahead.