Since my last post, I’ve been to two countries and eight states. I’ve been so busy going everywhere that I fell behind on my journaling.

Myreflekt keeps track of my writing strike. After 705 straight days of writing in it, I dropped the ball. Granted, I went back and added the entry, but that is kind of cheating.

I was sad, to be honest.

Traveling

When I was younger, traveling was the dream. I wanted to visit all fifty states. I wanted to spend more time on the road than at home.

That began to change when I actually started doing it.

My desire to travel was born from trips I took for pleasure — trips where I did whatever I wanted. When you’re traveling for business with a purpose, everything changes.

In 2014, I had a business that required that kind of schedule. At first, I kept all my airfares and ticket stubs for memories. As the trips piled up, it became a hassle.

Sometimes I would fly in Monday afternoon, spend the night, do the meeting I was there for, and hop back on a plane by Tuesday evening. I spent less than 24 hours at the location.

By Wednesday, I was back at work like nothing happened.

Those trips were not enjoyable at all.

After a year of that — flying or driving somewhere new every month — I was ready to hang up my boots.

A New Wave of Traveling

When I took my current job, I wasn’t expecting to be on the road at all. I was hired to fill a position within a contract.

As my role evolved, I found myself traveling like never before.

Recently, I’ve been up and down the East Coast and Midwest. I’m ready to get back home and stay put for a few weeks.

Here’s the thing: when you have a family that stays back home, leaving is extra hard. While I’ve been out, I’ve missed school events, personal milestones, family visits — and who knows what else.