Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. - Leonardo da Vinci

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you have imagined." - Thoreau

"For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. At last it dawned on me that those obstacles were my life. This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So treasure every moment you have and remember that time waits for no one.
Happiness is a journey, Not a destination." - Souza


These are three quotes that have helped me pass the time at work over the last few months. I bought these magnets at Central Market when I was shopping with a friend, he was looking for thank-you notes to send to people. They have become a mantra for me, or maybe they have brainwashed me. I often look over at them when I am taking a break from working, I think I am zoning out at the wall but then I realize I am somewhere else, wondering where exactly it is. I have always felt comfortable going back to a place I know and now I will be going to places I have never been, doing things I only imagined, meeting people I never knew. I have been reading more of the book Tales of a Female Nomad, I am tired of reading about someone else's adventures. My walls are bare at work, I have torn the last of the photographs down, the diploma in its frame is leaning against the wall, my granola bars and tea bags I keep in my office for snacks are placed in a box that I can take with me when I leave and I will be submitting my two week notice today or tomorrow. My life as I have known it for the last 5 years is officially over. I think when I am older and I look back at this moment I will be able to tell you exactly how it felt and that it was the right decision, but as for right now that is only speculation. I am still nervous, I do not know if I have made the right decision. I know three babies that will be born and possibly three weddings that will happen while I am away traveling. It is a strange feeling I get inside to think that I will miss these moments, experiencing them from so far away, reading about them in an e-mail or a text messages. Whether you are an active participant or not life seems to go on for everyone and everything around you. As much as I think about leaving I think equally as much about returning and seeing everyone I will have missed. That to me is the beauty of life, the friends, family, weddings, babies, the beauty, the essence when all the accoutrements are stripped away... The laughter, the tears, the joy, the simplicity.