We’ve always believed that a sign of a great relationship is relating on great dreams. “Living beyond your means on other people’s dreams is not succeeding” (credit to the singer, Janis Ian). Shared dreams are what drive us; what give us something to look forward to. Many dreams rely on time, health and money. But mostly, in this day and age, they rely on time. As the saying goes “time is the only currency you spend without ever knowing your balance”. But here’s the thing: it never feels like the best time to change – to take the next step.
And then life throws you a curve ball.
Paul’s came while he was sitting at the airport at the end of yet another long business trip. He got “the phone call”. After 8 years, his position was being made redundant. A lot goes through one’s mind at that point – incredulity, uncertainty, and mostly anger. It feels like you have given your heart and soul to a now heartless and soulless company.
But this was also a wake-up call.
For years, we had been caught up in the corporate treadmill, going faster and faster, but never really getting in better shape. Now the treadmill had stopped. It was time to either get off or start the next workout. We chose to get off and decided to travel for a few years. Hiking had long been a shared passion of ours, and we decided to base our travels around walking – short hikes, long hikes, through hikes, climbing mountains, pilgrimages through villages, it doesn’t matter what type of walking. We just wanted to be outside, breathing deeply in fresh air, moving with purpose, clearing our minds, allowing ourselves a more natural state of being than sitting in an office chair behind a computer. To be clear, we consider ourselves extremely fortunate to be able to do this health-wise, financially, and with the support of our family.
Welcome to our story: walking it off, one step at a time.
Paul and Monique