2016, The Newest Year of Our Lives

This New Year’s Eve, Ben and I weren’t at the crowded bar in the city in our shiny outfits, clinking our glasses, taking a shot, or going in for a kiss. Although we loved having years of that familiar and cherished tradition, this year was so different; new. This was, and is, the newest year of our lives.

This New Year’s Eve, we were tucked away quietly in our home, our live aboard sailboat, anchored in Nassau Harbor in the Bahamas. We'd just sailed Wanderlust several hours to get here, after island hopping through a few tiny Bahamian islands, just specs on the map. To celebrate the New Year, we had a rum drink, then sat on deck and watched the outrageous fireworks from the nearby fancy resorts. Bright reds and whites crackled and burst above the harbor, right over our heads, causing rippled reflections in the water. This New Year’s Eve, we appreciatively left 2015 behind, and kicked off 2016 with grins on our faces.

We were grateful for 2015, the year that had surely changed our lives forever. In 2015, Ben and I executed our big plan. We had hidden our dream from many people, afraid of what they might think, and afraid of it ourselves. It took us months, but finally we broke the news to our loved ones, left our careers, sold our beloved house, and we got rid of nearly all our belongings. We were scared, and there were many tears, but we’ve grown so much in exchange, it is almost unexplainable.

Since August 2015, Ben and I have gained new skills and interests, met hundreds of fascinating and different people, explored unusual places, and have drunk and eaten everything in sight. We’ve fought, we’ve cried, and we’ve loved. We’ve gained a deep appreciation for nature because we are in it all of the time. We’ve grown closer, become best friends. We’re learning, individually, who we really are, together. Although it isn’t always as good or as easy as we planned, it is real, and it is rare, and it is the life that we chose. We’ve had lifetime’s worth of experiences in just a few short months. We are forever changed, and forever grateful to and proud of ourselves for taking that plunge in 2015 that has been a catalyst for our lives.

2016 will be a new year for us. We’re having brand new experiences, trying new things, meeting new friends, visiting new places, becoming new people. Some days we are overloaded with newness, and we want to crawl back to Missouri to have some BBQ, watch some baseball, and feel cozy and secure. But we didn’t come here to feel cozy, so we push on.

We moved aboard S/V Wanderlust so that we could have experiences, learn about ourselves, and what we want for our futures. Although we have no idea what this year, or the ones after, hold, we’re not nearly as concerned as you might think. We know we’ll have each other, and continue our sailing journey as long as possible. We originally thought we’d travel for one year, but that timeline has gone out the window as our plans slowly morph into new and exciting things. Our route, the “thorny path,” takes us south through the Caribbean, from the Bahamas down to the Virgin Islands and beyond, and we’ll follow it as long as possible... that's all we know. The truth is, the end point doesn’t matter, because the purpose of this journey is to be in this moment, now, getting to know ourselves and the world,while we’re young and ambitious, while we can.

In 2016, unknown ceases to bother us and has begun to enthuse. We often talk about what we might do for work when we’re done traveling, or where we’d like to live. The possibilities are endless, and motivating. In the past, we’d have been worried and anxious about these questions. But now, the future no longer scares us, because, we lost everything already. Or, I should say, we gave it up... in the name of wanderlust.

If we wanted the job and the house and the cars again, I feel confident that we could work those same 60 hour weeks, and in a couple years we’d have caught right up. But is that what we want? Would it really ever compare? Could the same cubicle corporate job ever satisfy, after an adventure like this? Something tells me, it may not be in the cards for us anymore... and we’re steady at work figuring out just what might be.

Stay tuned as we continue to travel this big, beautiful world!

Thanks for reading,

Ben, Quinn and Ruca

#aboutus #lifeaboard