It happened again.
Yep, yet another person asked me what I’m doing after graduation. When I responded, yet another person was surprised I wouldn’t immediately be taking my place behind a desk after tossing my cap into the air.
You see, I like to think these past four years of nonstop school, softball and work have earned me some downtime. I’d like the opportunity to do something for me, just because I really want to do it.
I’m going to backpack through Europe.
You heard me right. Just days after receiving my diploma, I’ll be headed to Amsterdam to start a five-week adventure during which I’ll explore some of the most famous cities in the world. Rome, Paris, Barcelona and others are just two months and an eight-hour flight away.
Like I said, many people are surprised when they learn my plans. Some have even asked me if I’m sure this is the “right time.” Shouldn’t I be starting my career?
In the year that I’ve been planning this trip, I’ve asked myself these very questions time and again. In fact, there have been nights I’ve laid awake wondering if I’m making a good decision. Less than a month ago, I called my parents in tears and said I was canceling the trip because I didn’t think I’d be able to find a job when I return.
I’ve come to the realization though that it will never be the “right time” to travel. Today is not the perfect day, but neither is tomorrow.
Tomorrow, there will still be bills to pay. Tomorrow, there will still be jobs to interview for. Tomorrow, there still be excuses.
Regardless of where I am in life, second guessing myself is inevitable. The stars are never going to align to reveal the “right time,” which makes now as a good of a time as any to travel.
It’s certainly possible and perhaps more than likely I won’t find a job as soon as I come home. But when I’m sitting in my bathrobe at 2 p.m. on my parents’ couch eating cereal, I can take solace in the fact that I didn’t wait for the “right time.”
Eventually, we all run out of tomorrows. I, for one, don’t want to start the rest of my life by putting off my dreams.