The Pursuit of Reckless Spontaneity

In nine days, everything changes.

I am sitting in my local Barnes and Noble bookstore and coffee shop, perched in front of my laptop wondering, how do I tell this story? The condensation dripping from my soy iced matcha proves that I've been pondering this for longer than I'd care to admit. It should be so easy, shouldn't it? To simply tell you about my journey to life abroad? But where do I even begin . . .

Fact: change is scary. Personally, I've never been a fan of it. I like my life in the suburban outskirts of Los Angeles, California. I love my barista job. Serve coffee, chat with neighbors. I love family dinners and 8AM poly-sci lectures. I love beach days and romance novels. It's familiar and it's mine.

But what about living life in pursuit of reckless spontaneity? Despite my aversion to change, there has always been a part of me that has sought adventure. So I decided to embrace my fear and do just that. I resigned from my barista job, started this blog, and in nine days time, my dream of pursuing a life of travel will become my reality. I want to embarrass myself when I fail to speak the local language perfectly, and laugh along because perfection is overrated. I want to hike a trail I've yet to venture, and get lost. I want to try new foods and realize they're delicious. I want to make new friends, share stories over a campfire, and build bonds to last a lifetime. I want to make mistakes and memories.

Most of all, I want to keep this journal to prove to myself and others that change is good. Maybe your change won't involve a move abroad. Perhaps it involves a change in work hours, or pursuing a new job. Maybe you'll start keeping a diary or learn a new recipe. Maybe you'll discover a new bookstore, or make a new friend. No matter what the choice may be, I hope you'll read this and try something new. Let's conquer our fear of change together. Who knows, we might even have fun!