Realizations

UPDATE:  I originally wrote this post Sunday night. I have waited to post it because I wondered if I actually meant it or if it was the wine talking.  After thinking about it for a few days I am fairly certain I am on to something.  If I post this it maybe I will be more apt to follow through.  I still need to come up with my "how I am going to save money" list.  Maybe I just need to make more of it. 

It might be the wine I had with dinner, but I think I just had a life changing realization. I have a nice family, great friends, and a somewhat decent job, OK I usually hate it, but it does have its perks. So why do I always feel unfulfilled? I started thinking about how horrible it would be to wake up one day, at the end of my life, and still feel this way. I was watching some shows on the travel channel and nearly had a panic attack thinking that if I keep sitting here on my ass I might never get to visit some of the places I have always dreamed of seeing. I wondered what on earth I could do to change the course of my life. Or what I could do to be happy with the life I have. That might be a more obtainable goal. I wondered to myself...what makes me happy?

The first thing (the only thing besides my friend and family) I thought of was travel. New experiences. The journey. The sights. One can wistfully think of a lot of pretty scenery when Wichita is what they look at everyday. Can travel really be the answer? We'll see tomorrow when the wine wears off, but for tonight, I think I might have found it. It is something I love and something I can share with my family. CJ and I have always been at our best when we travel together, and I think that sharing new experiences with E tops my list of things that make me happy.

So I have a goal. What now? I am going to need funds.  I need to start by paying off debt. I should set up regular contributions to the retirement and college funds so I can travel without guilt.  I am going to make a list of ways I can save money. In the morning. In the meantime I am going to recount some of the places on my bucket list as inspiration for myself:


Australia
Thailand
The rainforest
Ireland
Sweden

Hopefully I have sweet dreams.