Over the last month Andrew and I have done some soul searching. Andrew went on a ride with a friend of ours (Jun) from South Korea. When he got back he was more focused on leaving and I was more focused on being on the same page as Andrew. Since we decided to leave I’ve been very focused on my transition at work and less so on preparations. While Andrew was riding with his Jun I was struck by how much I missed him. It’s the longest period of time we’ve been apart and it made me realize that while it’s a luxury to leave my job with a positive legacy; our new journey is more important.
And so Andrew and I discussed our plans. We normally buy a seasons pass for the Whistler Bike Park. This year during our consideration phase the early bird price sold out. And with that as the final straw, Andrew and I talked about our values and purpose and changed our departure date. Originally we were going to leave on our anniversary in November and now we will leave in the summer. I’ve moved my retirement date up to the end of July 2014. We will leave shortly after I finish work. My family has been incredibly supportive with the changed date.
So with our revised departure date things are getting very real. We’ve started selling the last of our items, most notably our mountain bikes. Weave started to really think about the items we need before we go. We’re ready to go from the must haves perspective but there are few items that we’d like to get before we don’t have an income anymore. Some of these things are pretty expensive. The nice to have list are things like:
- A new DSLR camera
- A small point and shoot waterproof camera
- A smartphone to travel with
- A new iPod as mine is really small
- A durable external hard drive
- New prescription glasses
- A few bike components
- And anything else I forgot
Outside of that we’re in good shape. I’m sure a few more things will come up, but we could technically leave tomorrow.
Since we’ve updated our departure date I’ve had the pleasure of sharing our plans with colleagues and the support and encouragement is wonderful. I’m always so thrilled to hear stories from others of their travel and history of their home countries. I enjoy it immensely when others share their memories or the best places to visit. That’s why we’re doing this. I want to enjoy the people and places that others so fondly speak of.
It’s a good decision and I’m still able to accomplish my goal of leaving my job on a good note. I’m lucky I work with a great team and they too are not surprised I’m leaving early. And I’m more lucky to have an incredible partner who is so supportive.