The Paralysis of Analysis

"If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done." -Bruce Lee 

I started this week drowning in my own head. I've made the lists, bought all the things, converted my Chevy pickup truck into a 3/4 Ton over-land camping / recreational / fun vehicle... And yet, there always seems to be something I'm missing. Something I've not considered. Something else to buy. 

Given this journey will take Conor and I away from our home for a full month, the whole idea is to get out of our comfort zone. Where are we most comfortable? At home... With all our stuff and our dogs and our conveniences and on and on and on. Though truly, growth only occurs in a state of discomfort, and that's the point of the journey, I think. Conor and I on the road in different, often strange, and assuredly wonderful places, and all completely outside of what we would consider "comfortable"; miles from home. Yep, we're quenching wanderlust and kind of redefining who we are - both individually and collectively. Truly a romantic's ideology, isn't it?

With that in mind, we don't want to get TOO uncomfortable! Leaving home for a month requires a ton of stuff! Especially considering we're going to be camping through a lot of it. And so here we are, back to the Paralysis of Analysis; over thinking it all... But there comes a point where you just kinda say to yourself, "enough is enough" and start piling it all up. I mean, we're not traveling the Brazilian backcountry down the Amazon... We're driving across the United States! Assuredly we'll pass a few (hundred) Walmart's along the way.

Still, while big-box retailers and city-block super-stores dot the great American landscape and are certainly good to pick up odds and ends or to resupply as needed, the reason for doing all of this now is so we don't have to think about it on the road. And frankly, the load-out for a trip like this SHOULD be extraordinary!  But that doesn't mean it won't come at a cost - both financially and mentally. 

That said, things that come at a cost should come with value, too. And there's a tremendous amount of value in rediscovering ourselves. Priceless, really. This whole effort is truly an investment in who we are and who we can become. It's been said, "No amount of money ever bought a second of time.", and while that may be true, what is equally true is that every penny spent on creating experiences and memories with those we love is absolutely worth it, because those memories are timeless. It's investing in your soul, and a story we can tell until our own dying day.

Grief is a funny thing. It can leave the grieving completely rudderless in a sea of commonplace. The feeling of desperation coupled with the void of missing your loved one while the rest of the World passes us by can be crippling, because we all recognize the World will not stop for any of us. Though each day we rise, the human condition meets us with a choice - Stay or Go. Forward or Neutral. Retreat or Advance. Conor and I have made our choice. We've charted a course and in a few hours, we'll leave safe harbor to embrace the World ahead of us. Because one thing is certain - you can never go back.

One of Sara's very favorite expressions was "Carpe Diem". A Latin expression that, loosely translated, means, "Seize the Day". It is in that vein that we begin our journey, and with the knowing of how very proud she would be.

This evening we'll travel to my In-Laws to drop the dogs, share a meal, and talk about what's to come. Tomorrow is Day 1 of our Healing Road... No more time for the Paralysis of Analysis. No looking back - we're not going that way. It's truly time to seize the day - and so we go.

Thank you for following along. We'll see you On the Healing Road.