Written almost 3 years ago to the day...
Like the Nor’easters in Nantucket, these are the days of my life. And sometimes my life is like a beach: simple and blissful, with a million different things transpiring around me.
Who ever said silence is golden, obviously didn’t know me as a child. I grew up always talking to strangers, and getting “lost” at Target on a weekly basis meant that I had found a new friend in a nearby fluorescent-lit isle.
I was head over heels into sports, where my focus ended up being gymnastics until the one day I was miserable from my coaches ‘You’re to tall to be great at this sport’ remarks. That was the last time I let someone tell me I couldn’t do something.
I grew up in the Midwest: a town called Belleville, Illinois known to some as some Bellevegas. This may be because every time I go home the only thing that changes are the number of chain restaurants opening. I like to call it Genericville, where my hometown like so many others has lost its ‘mom and pop’ feel, and there is now an Applebee’s, McDonalds, Walgreens, or Starbucks around every corner.
As I approached 18, I knew there had to be more to life than cornfields and cheerleading. College was my chance to float away. I clicked my heels and ran as fast as my Maroon Saturn could carry me to the quaint town Hammond, Louisiana. I realized after moving to the Deep South, I loved being on my own in the real world. I was enthralled after meeting numerous new friends and seeing a different way of life.
I knew traveling was something I had to do when my best friend Leigh signed up for an exchange program to Ireland in college, and spent the following summer in London completing an internship. Upon her return, she just glowed and gloated with excitement about her adventures.
After moving to New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and eventually cross-country to California to finish school, I set my heart on Europe as my destination numero uno. In 2007, after 6 ½ years of switching majors, I finally graduated and snagged a position in marketing management for a new product release. For the next 5 months I planned to save all my money to backpack for 2 months.
I have always been pretty fearless when it comes to doing things on my own, because I finally realized that the only person you can truly count on is yourself. With only a plane ticket and a rail pass, I landed in London Heathrow after a 10 hour flight, and I was on my way to bigger and better things. Needless to say, this trip forever changed me, and the path of my life. I knew from then on, I would absolutely not ever settle for a corporate 9-5 job where I was miserable like most of my complaining friends back home. Instead, I would make my own rules.
I have been bartending for 10 years now at every type of pub, lounge, restaurant, and nightclub you can imagine. I meet incredible people every day. I love my job, and
I have found my own way to make my dreams become realities. While some people say I live in a fairytale, there are other countless CEO’s and people who make loads more money than I do, who I meet that tell me they are so envious of the traveling that I do.
I have found a special place I call home, at least 6 months out of the year for my American summers. This is a little place called Nantucket, an Island off the coast of Cape Cod. It is relaxing, and everything about it is like a fairytale. I make the best out of a rainy day by watching a good old black and white movie, sitting down and writing, or watching something on the discovery channel, or a show about a place I want to visit on the travel channel. On the fabulous weather days, I love going down to the beach with a book I’ve checked out from the library, a notebook, pen and some great music. The sound of the ocean is so calming while I am in my oasis. It’s the simple things in life that I enjoy day to day like when I arrive home pull out my thick mustard Ralph Lauren Beach towel and the sand cascades to the floor. This keeps me smiling.
Although I love Nantucket, it is just my special summer place. I want to continue to travel in the winters (some countries summers), meeting new people, learning about new cultures, and just living what I like to think is an amazing life. The world is big, but so interconnected. We have a huge melting pot of people of all shapes, sizes, colors, and backgrounds all over now, and there are so many things to be learned about ways of life. There are so many people whose stories need to be told and many people who want to hear them. My journey is one of many.
This is why I write. To show people another way of life through my experiences and what I see through the people I meet. It’s the unknown and not knowing what’s next in life that makes it worth living. Where I’ll be, what part of the world, who I’ll meet, which will change my outlook on life yet again. It keeps me on the move.
Life is never too short, and it is never too late to do what you want. For those people who don’t want to leave their comfort zone, I am more than happy to share my experiences so they can live through mine. There’s nothing wrong with imagining a life, a place, or a time and then finding your way to it. If you can imagine it, I believe anything is possible. I hope to be an inspiration to future travelers and generations to come.
