Live What You Love

Before Matt and I took off on our first Round The World trip, we thought alot about what it would mean for our future if we made the choice to travel. We also thought alot about what it would mean for our future if we decided not to travel. All along the decision making process, there was one idea that was always there and always palpable – one which was best represented by a piece of artwork I gave Matt the night I told him that I decided Yes on The Trip.

Aside from being cool-looking, it gets across a pretty serious point: Live What You Love. The most important piece of who we are, if not the very definition of individuality, is our ability to create a life full of those things we care about most. Without acting upon our unique desires, we would all be the same. And what a boring world that would be.

Before the trip and before purchasing this particularly transcendent piece of paper, I have managed to live with this idea in mind, though not always. I’ve made some pretty major decisions in my 30 years, and the choices I made with this idea as a driving force have absolutely been the most defining. And satisfying. For example, I was a chemistry major. I worked many a summer internship in the semiconductor/nanotechnology industry. I went to Cornell *specifically* because they have a great chemistry program, and it seemed like I was on the path to be the next Robert Noyce. (nerd alert. He invented computer chips and Intel) Somewhere between junior year and an awesome Phish show, I decided I was destined to be a musician. I dropped my beakers and pipettes to go live in NYC. I wrote songs and started performing at tiny NYC bars. A pretty defining choice as it brought me to where I am right now. (not right right now at my computer, i mean in general in New York, with a New York job and a New York apartment, married to a awesome New York guy)

With this life defining choice under my belt, how could I turn down the opportunity to give up all the New York-ness and see what other cool stuff there is to do in the world. And I’m not done making crazy-sounding choices all for the sake of finding how else I can live what I love.

And thats why Im here. Writing about my travels. Writing about the places I’d like to go, and what I’d like to do when I get there. And what happens when I do get there.