In April of 2013 I traveled to Costa Rica with 3 of the best guys one could hope to know.  We surfed, we hiked, we climbed a few waterfalls, explored a few wildlife reserves, fed dozens of hungry crocodiles, relaxed in a fair number of hammocks, and topped it off by climbing Mt Chirippo, the highest peak in Costa Rica clocking in at 12,533 feet.  This was hands down one of the most memorable trips of my life.

While on the flight home I was reminiscing on all the amazing memories we had created on the trip and was absolutely dreading getting back to the real world.  On paper I had everything going for me back home; great friends, supportive family, successful career, I had just bought a house in one of the most beautiful cities in the country.  Why wouldn’t I want to head back to that?  The reasons are legion, but more than I will cover in this post.  For some time I had known that I needed change, but I had no idea what that change was. It was on that fateful flight 18 months ago that I realized exactly what I needed and the outlines of a plan began to formulate in my head. I would work for one more year to build enough reserves to fund my adventure, spend the summer getting credentialed to be a dive guide, then leave in September/October once Seattle’s nine month winter begins.

Once I got home from Costa Rica, I felt a huge weight fall off my shoulders.  I had a new sense of purpose and freedom that I hadn’t felt in years, or quite possibly ever.  Since then, nearly everything I do is with a focus on fulfilling my dream.  I haven’t yet become a dive guide, but aside from that, I have stuck with the plan.  I still plan to get credentialed when I am in Belize.  My flight departs exactly one month today, and my excitement is at a fever pitch.  It feels amazing to be so close to making my dream a reality.