Opposites Traveling
Newlyweds at home, Aurora, IL
When these two “commitment phobes” married in the 1990s, we saw not one, but two, pre-marital counselors—one required by the church we were married in, and the other a trusted friend whose advice we sorely needed. It turns out we are complete opposites on every chart, except where it comes to dominance, in which case we are both just about off the charts.
We thought we had covered just about every topic from religion to finance to food preferences and home décor. (We will eat just about anything. There shall be NO floral patterns in our home textiles.) This stuff, we agree on.
It came as quite a shock, when just a few months in, my new husband uttered the words, “I just don’t get why people travel.”
In my maturity, I muttered something about not understanding why people needed 8 guitars, packed a backpack, and hopped in a van with some friends to attend a New Year’s Eve party several states away. It wasn’t exactly a fight…just a difference we had to work out.
Prague, Czech Republic, 2010
The thing is—we both saw the point in writing songs and performing them wherever we were invited, so these many years on, he and I have been all over the USA, and have traveled and performed in the UK, Ireland, Germany, the Czech Republic, and most recently Turkey. We both love visiting new places and meeting new people…and I think there are probably at least 8 guitars on hand.
Traveling with my opposite has taught me to appreciate things I might not have otherwise noticed, and to take time for people, places, and stories I might have skipped over. It has made our trips richer and our time together better. His steadiness has taught me to be still, and take in the view or pay attention long enough to hear the story that may inspire the next song.
This morning at breakfast, we were discussing the feasibility of a year of swapping a home for full time travel—taking every opportunity to play music, learn new skills, volunteer with non-profits, see new places, and come alongside friends (and friends of friends) who are doing good work all over the world.
Randy is worried that if we do this, you might think of us as bums.
I worry that you will think I’m some kind of princess who gets to flit around the world at will.
Not surprisingly, our fears were exactly the opposite of one another’s.
Neither case is true, of course. We will be scraping, digging into hard earned savings, and dependent on singing for our supper, but the rewards of travel are great, and there are so many friends spread far and wide that we miss.
We welcome your support, as we determine whether this is the plan.
Certainly not bums or princesses but people living life as it should be lived and extremely brave in doing so.
Great blog, Beki! The stories of your life with Randy are always full of wisdom.