“The life you have led doesn’t need to be the only life you have.”

-Anna Quindlan

In the last 72 hours I have made a decision. This choice, I am confident, will change my life as I know it. Frankly, I have never been more excited or terrified about what lies ahead. What is this choice? Before I get into that, let’s take a step back and allow me to tell you a little bit about myself.
My name is Lori, the youngest of seven children, and raised on a little farm near a small town in northern Idaho. Growing up, the outdoors was my playground, the animals were my playmates, and my imagination would run wild creating whatever reality I chose. I would spend hours outside in the woods, convinced I was in the jungle and my dog was a vicious tiger, or hiking a hill, this time taking on the roll of Heidi, climbing the Alps to grandpa’s house. It was a simple life, but in the eyes of that little girl, it was perfect.
Unfortunately, as I have grown older, that imagination has been quieted by generic, everyday living. I have become accustomed to the cookie cutter lifestyle of the 9 to 5 job. Working to live and living to work. Am I unhappy? I don’t think so. Could it be better? Absolutely! Until now, I have been too comfortable, or maybe too scared, to seek out better.
Last summer I received the opportunity to spend ten days in Thailand. I was shocked at how much I fell in love with everything about that country. The food was amazing, the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen, and the people, the happiness and kindness of the Thai was something I never expected. The vacation truly flew by faster than I could’ve imagined, and soon enough, I was boarding that dreaded plane to return home. My time in Thailand had ended, but the spark in that little Sandpoint, Idaho girl had been reignited. As I watched Bangkok fade into the distance, I promised myself I would be back.
Which brings me back to this “big decision.” The whole reason I am sitting at this computer, telling you about my childhood. I have decided to take the jump, uproot the comfortable, and throw my life into an exciting whirlwind of unknowns. In 4 months, I will have quit my job, put everything I own in storage, and jumped on a plane with a one way ticket, destined for Asia. I will start in Bangkok, the city that stole my heart, and the rest of the specifics, well I have four months to figure those out.
While the real excitement doesn’t start until then, the story begins now, with the preparation. First order of business: tell my parents. Wish me luck.