new year | Water, Water Everywhere And Not A Drop To Drink

Dec 31 2014

Priorities: Same same but different.

A couple of months ago, a friend of mine did a radio interview and she had to choose a single word on which to focus. She chose “priorities.” Her explanation resonated with me, which isn’t really surprising, as I’m sure that it’s part of the reason we’re friends, but the funny thing is that I keep coming back to it. I’ve had a lot of conversations about priorities lately and the word just seems so weirdly pertinent to my life right now. (My life always?)

The first thing that comes to mind when I think about priorities is lifestyle–and the choices we make that contribute to it. I will never be the person who says, “Must be nice!” (I swear that few more irritating, passive-aggressive comments have ever been uttered.)

While I realize that many things in life are beyond our control and, of course, it’s not always feasible for people to, say, up and journey across the globe, I also believe that if that were truly what said people wanted, they’d find a way of making it happen.

I’ve received lots of generous messages from friends and family while traveling, asking how it is that I’m able to visit so many extraordinary places. I usually say that I am very fortunate that I’m paid for doing what I love: Writing (particularly about action sports) has not only taught me a lot, but it’s taken me to remarkable locations and brought so many incredible people (above-mentioned friend included) into my life.

But you know what? Journalism–and especially that kind of journalism—is not a job into which you simply fall. I’ve worked hard for those experiences, and I’ve sacrificed things that most 30-year-olds take for granted (nice car, savings) in order to get them. Of course, I’m glad that I have, but the point is, when I had to choose between a 9-to-5 with benefits and a risky adventure, complete with a heap of credit card debt, I chose the latter. And that’s how I ended up in New Zealand, Indonesia, Singapore, Lisbon… It was just a choice–and for me, it was a no-brainer because that was what I wanted from life at the time.

Now, I don’t want exactly the same things, and Continue reading →

Tagged new year, new year's, perspective, priorities, prioritize, risk, safe, travel

Jan 06 2014

4 Comments

Benevolence, Hither and Thither, Travel

The year is new.

Oh, so it is. I’m usually much more on top of my New Year’s posts, but 2013 was one heck of a year and I wasn’t really sure where to start. Then I thought, I’ll just begin with what’s always closest to my heart: the food. (And drink.) And I’m gonna preemptively put a few dollars in the proverbial jar, because I’m about to sound like a… well, maybe just don’t read this if you’re prone to fits of jealous rage. Right, the food… Continue reading →

Tagged 2013, adventure, asia, asp, Australia, brazil, europe, family, flights, france, friends, gypsy, helicopter, hire car, miles, miles flown, new year, new year's, new zealand, numbers, portugal, singapore sling, skiing, south america, southeast asia, statistics, strike mission, surf, surfing, travel, traveled, traveling, wanderlust, world tour, year's end

Jan 01 2013

1 Comment

Hither and Thither, In the Name of Science, Photos

2012

@casebut

12 Things I Learned in 2012:

I actually do like barrels.
I actually don’t hate [carefully selected] hostels.
Learning new languages really does get harder as you get older. Continue reading →

Tagged 2012, casebut, elephant, family, fresh, friends, impulsive, instagram, joel parkinson, language, learn, lessons, miles, new, new year, numbers, photo, travel, year end

Dec 29 2012

Non-resolutions.

Around this time last year, I was on this pro-fate, anti-resolution kick. After listening to me prattle on for a couple of days, my housemate suggested that I read The Secret. Matty mentioned something about the Law of Attraction. I’m not sure what, exactly (and I still haven’t finished the book), but he went on to tell me that he’d made a list one year–simply written down things that he’d wanted to accomplish in the upcoming year–and forgotten all about it. When he went back to the list a year later, he’d accomplished almost everything on it. The good, old Law of Attraction. I think. I seem to remember him explaining that in expressing his desires in a concrete way, he gave them some kind of power. My interest (skepticism?) was piqued. So, I wrote my own list of non-resolutions for 2012 somewhere in the middle of my leatherbound notebook, folded down the page’s corner, moved on. The List

A few days ago, I remembered the non-resolutions and confessed to my friend, Megan, that although I couldn’t remember exactly what I’d written down, I was pretty sure I hadn’t accomplished any of it. Shrug.

Alas, mere moments ago, I dug the notebook out of my over-stuffed bookcase and unearthed “My 2012 List (of Goals).” There are eight items on it. Some of them are embarrassing, so I will not be divulging them here. But as it turns out, I did every single one of them. Sometimes in the strictly literal sense, and occasionally, on a very temporary basis: I visited Yudi in Bondi; not Indo. I got a new board from California; not the board I’d intended to retrieve. I guess, like most things, it’s all about perspective.

I haven’t yet decided if I’m making a list for 2013. If I do, it certainly will not be called “2013 Resolutions.”