Why I Left My Life to Travel Alone
I’ve always stayed the course in this Game of Life. Early education segued smoothly into a private high school, then a top 20 university. I graduated, moved back to New York City, and found a full-time job that put my journalism degree to (some) use. I met a guy, fell in love, and we moved in together. I was smooth sailing through the game board, already unwittingly accelerating toward marriage, children and a home mortgage.
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That’s till I came to a screeching halt. This year, almost suddenly, I just couldn’t keep spinning the wheel, drawing cards, and drifting on a road to retirement with my sole choice being: Millionaire Estates or Countryside Acres? I needed a change. Not a detour; not just a new direction. I needed to shift gears, step on the gas and speed right out my Milton Bradley existence.
So here I go: I booked a one-way ticket to Bangkok. Next month, I will throw on a backpack half my body size, toting along my trusty DSLR and MacBook Pro, and take a flight (well, three) across the Pacific to the Land of Smiles. There, I will begin my months of wandering across Southeast Asia, chronicling my adventures and misadventures right here, on my newly-christened blog. First stop: A half marathon around Angkor Wat, the storied temple complex of Cambodia. From there, it’s off to wherever the wind blows me (within budget, whomp, whomp).
For now, I’m happy to say there’s no course now. No next move to make; no milestones to hit. That’s all in my rearview. From here, I’ll find my way with choice, chance, curiosity — and Google maps. After all, Life is but a game, so I’m going to have a little fun while it lasts.
