Six months in

Today is our six-month mark of entering Mexico. I wanted to write something significant on this day, something that would say something more than a typical post about a town we visited, a festival we happened upon, or some challenge we’ve met on the road. But now that I look back on things, it seems silly to try and hunk anything together into some sort of generalization, when each day has been complete in its own right.

While we’ve been on the road for six months, the trip feels both shorter and longer. It didn’t start the day we crossed into Tijuana, or the day we left San Francisco, the day we gave notice on our apartment, or the day Juan quit his job. I don’t even think the trip really started on that fateful first date when Juan said, “I’ve got this van…” For me, I think it started when I was a kid looking out on my parents’ front lawn in suburban Illinois and thinking, ‘One day I’m going to get away from all this.’

Seeing Mexico and all the things I never knew about—so close to home—has been an extraordinary experience. It is wonderful to see all these things at our own pace, with each other, and with so few worries. At the outset, I thought that living out of a van would be complicated, difficult. But rather than complicating things, I’ve found that it brings those few relevant things into closer focus. I’ve never enjoyed instant coffee and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches so much. I’ve never valued shade or a cool breeze more. I’ve never gotten so much sleep, woken up so early so consistently, and gone to sleep so satisfied and easily at the end of each day. I’ve never had so much time to think, and spent so much of that time thinking, ‘Well, this is just great.’ (and not in a sarcastic way)

I’ve also never appreciated Juan as much as I do now. This trip was his dream, and when you love someone, you share in his or her dreams. I dream pretty big, but I never realistically dreamed I would do something like this. But when you’re with the right person, your dreams become not only possible, but probable. Here’s to you, Juan. I love and miss you.