“My favorite quote….’We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.’
These are more than just vinyl letters on the wall, this is our form of living in the moment!
We put it into action shortly after birth of our second special needs child. We made a conscious decision to not let life slip us by and not get caught up in the monotony of daily life. School, work, doctors, activities…rinse and repeat!
The way we have put these words into action is that our family commits to taking every other summer (2-1/2 months) and traveling the US in our RV. Each trip begins with a wish list of must-sees or things to do, no rules, no bad ideas, everyone has input and we always include a big adventure. From that list, there slowly develops a theme and a route. We have been doing this for 13 years now.
We are not wealthy people, but we choose to live more at the moment. Having kids with special needs has really opened our eyes to the importance of living life to the fullest now and not waiting for someday. It doesn’t mean we have abandoned reality, we still work, kids still go to school, however, we make sacrifices and take this time off now, rather than the future. The memories made as a family and invaluable experiences are worth any sacrifice.
A documentary called IceBlink inspired us very early on. It is based on a couple that raised their family on a sailboat and traveled the world.
In order to be successful, you have to have balance in life. In America, we tend to follow an unwritten script of school, work, family, then retirement. This is not a prescription for a successful life that fits or suits everyone.
We believe…
that we all have the potential to live remarkable lives if we just have the courage to make life’s choices differently.”