This week I had my last day at my first in-the-city-big-girl-job-that-isn’t-camp job. Which means I leave for Nicaragua three weeks from today and I am freaking out a little bit.
Since my life seems to be continuously going through transitions, I have been thinking about what prompts us to change. What are the reasons for moving on, or moving up or moving out?
… unhappiness?
… the search for satisfaction?
… thirst for adventure?
… boredom?
… drive to be better?
It would be easy to overlook all of the underlying reasons for change, and just say its time for a change – but I can say with some confidence that any individual in question is usually searching for something. A search for passion, for yourself, for adventure, for love. The term “finding yourself” isn’t far from the truth.
So why can’t we find ourselves in the normal day to day of living? Why does there need to be change or transition to ‘find ourselves’?
In my very humble opinion, the whole of life is about finding ourselves, challenging ourselves and growing into ourselves. Who says you can’t find new passions at 80? From previous experience going abroad and living in community and experiencing many cultures and living situations – as well as living and working and doing normal daily and weekly routines that have become my life – each one has shaped me into who I am and how I view the world.
My life would be very wonderful and full without these experiences, but I truly believe each one of my experiences have helped me to fully be who I am. They have helped me to learn to listen to my gut and to be my own fish instead of swimming mindlessly along with what society tells me I should do.
Change helps us to have perspective on life. Whether it’s a permanent change like moving across the country, getting married, or (like me) just a quick 2 month jaunt to a foreign country – it’s bound to have some impact on how we interact with the world. Perspective allows us to see things from both sides of the fence. Sitting on the top – one side is green and blooming, the other side is brown and gross. Even though the top of the fence isn’t great, you can see that things could be better – but they could also be worse.
I can’t say for sure what all my reasons for jetting off to Nicaragua are, but I do know that I am searching for new perspective. I am searching for a new experience that will grow me and teach me. I have fallen in love with experiencing things both fun and uncomfortable and learning lessons that are challenging but freeing.
Three weeks baby. Three weeks.