Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/13061
LONGBEACHMAGAZINE.COM 47 B en Sweetland said "Happiness is a journey, not a destination." I certainly agree with the first part, and look forward to discovering the last — but not yet. For now, I am content to keep searching, and I strongly feel that everyone would benefit from picking up on a whim and going somewhere totally unfamiliar. From immersing oneself in a different country, a different culture or a different philosophy. It is the challenges in this life that invariably result in the greatest rewards and the most lasting of memories. It is that moment — in which everything known is forgotten — that you will remember forever. A little over six months ago, my wife Shelby and I boxed up our established, safe, and rather comfortable life in Long Beach, and boarded a plane, bound for a year-long adventure. We left with not much more than a recently issued — and mostly clean — passport, a couple of backpacks, a credit card and a basic idea of the direction in which we would head. Halfway in, I have stopped to reflect on this trip — what it has given us thus far, and how it all started. Twice now I have been fortunate enough to travel the world for an extensive period of time. Upon deeper investigation, however, fortune probably has very little to do with it; neither in the luck, nor the monetary sense. I am a firm believer in creating one's destiny and seeking out the happiness that can be derived from this life, rather than waiting for it to land in your lap. Exploration of this globe has given me so much already. Fantastically varied experiences gleaned from living on opposite sides of this Earth. Increased global knowledge socially, as well as in the business spectrum. Lasting friendships, a love of exotic cuisine, and somewhat of a grasp of several languages. After eight years in the U.S., it would be fair to say that we had begun placing roots. A mortgage, a great network of friends, colleagues and a couple of well- established careers that kept Thursday night poker with the boys a semi-annual affair at best. True, we were both working too much, but we enjoyed our jobs and those we collaborated with, and we got a great deal of satisfaction from our roles within each business. More than once we stretched our two-week getaway into a voyage across continents, with a couple of weeks in Europe, or Mexico, becoming a true break. Yet more often than not, we felt the need to return to our home towns to check in on family, attend weddings or other significant events. We longed for the 'open road', a clear itinerary, and the excitement of not knowing what is going to happen tomorrow, let alone next week, or next month. We each knew that this sort of escape called for more time off than could be reasonably requested in our work environment. Of course, it seems daunting, but the allure of the open road and all the benefits it brings — once experienced — is a powerful narcotic. Traveling is easy. Pick up the phone or fire up the laptop, give a credit card number, and catch a flight. However, making it last a year can be a challenge. But more than stretching the dollar, the real struggle lies in one's mind. In staying positive, in remembering what it is you came to enjoy, to learn, and in controlling the protective mechanisms that resound from the 'safe, responsible and familiar' world you left behind. Nagging feelings of irresponsibility, watching friends 'get ahead' while you seemingly fall behind in the 'life race' and rack up a debt, to boot. These feelings take a few months to dull as one's psyche begins to re-evaluate what is truly important in this life, and then a calm settles with the discovery that there is a cultural richness that one acquires that no career promotion, nor salary increase, can buy. A profound experience that may be shared with your partner, or perhaps a friend. An experience that will long outlast the emotional high of buying a new car. It is this wealth that my wife, Shelby, and I have chosen to indulge, WRIT TEN BY CHRISTIAN LANE-BROWN Checking In By Checking Out ENROUTE TO EVEREST BASE CAMP – HIMALAYAS, NEPAL