It would take a MIRACLE!

-Miracle Max, The Princess Bride

Me at two o’clock in the morning:

“Hmmmm, I’m going to need an air compressor…”

“Which one… holy crap, I forgot how EXPENSIVE these are!”

“Am I going to hardwire this or keep it portable?"

"Should I mount it in the Jeep or in the trailer?”

“I still need a water filter system too… can’t even start that until we pick up the trailer.”

“What if the trailer is not ready in time!”

“There’s no way I can get all this done!”

“THIS IS A MISTAKE, WHAT ON EARTH ARE WE DOING?!!!”

That is the poison that slithers into my thoughts. It starts as a tiny speck of doubt that creeps into my mind as I’m working through the latest obstacle. It grows, like a tiny snowball rolling down a steep slope. The worry begins as a snowflake but builds into a plunging boulder of uncertainty comprised of all the ways I’m throwing away a career, damaging my children, and fanning the flames of financial ruin. By the time it crashes into me at the base of this figurative mountain, it carries the weight of a thousand doubts and crushes me under fear.

Yet here we are, implementing Step 7. I have submitted my retirement paperwork. While we are gone, an amazing family that we have known for years is going to live in our house. The buildout of the Grand Cherokee is nearly complete (more coming on that soon). The trailer should be ready for pickup any day. Two passports are here and two are on the way. We are getting ALL the documents needed to travel across borders. Terri spends hours pouring through maps, locating campsites, and planning the route. This is really happening!

We are moving forward, and I have a new appreciation for how many things have had to come together for this to happen. Had I not been hired by the Dallas Police Department before the change was made that prevented officers from being compensated for unused sick time, finances would be much tighter. If I had started my career later in life and did not have over twenty years on the department, my pension would not be enough to support us during this year. Because I turn 50 in August, I will be able to draw that pension. We homeschool, so teaching on the road will not be a brand-new effort. Our kids are young enough that taking a year to travel is doable. We have had the opportunity to partner with some incredible companies like GoLight, Gobi Racks, Big Agnes, and MDC Campers, allowing us access to some of the best equipment on the planet that would have otherwise been unattainable. I could go on and on and on. A life change of this magnitude requires incredible timing and witnessing all of these things come together inspires us to keep driving ahead.

In fact, that “miracle” of timing is a big part of how I know we are on the right track. This process has required incredible faith and we are constantly praying about the next phase of our life. One thing I have learned for sure is that as we walk out to the very precipice of our comfort zone (and sometimes beyond), our prayers have been answered in tangible and undeniable ways. I can’t help but pause and reflect on how I have seen God’s hand at work, sometimes in big ways and sometimes in tiny, but very apparent ways. A part of that prayer does include, “God, you stay stop and I will STOP,” because we will not go on without Him. I have literally been on top of a peak, La Mosca Lookout as a matter of fact, with no sure way down, having done things my way and not God’s way, and I do not EVER want to be there again.

We spent a rough night getting blasted by the wind just below this point with questionable brakes and an overheating engine and the knowledge that the next morning we had to figure out how to get off the mountain.

As a result, I’ve come to realize why more people don’t “leave it all behind” and go galivanting around the world. I thought it was mostly just the fear of change, the unknown, the financial risk, etc. I’ve come to realize, however, that although those concerns might be what causes many dreamers to never start, what brings the dream to a screeching halt is the mountain of minutia that has to align perfectly. The tasks are intimidating to start with and getting the timing right feels overwhelming.

For you, living life in the DASH may not mean uprooting everything you know and trekking across the continent. Right now, it may be making sure the people you care about know it. It may be eating at a restaurant you’ve never been to instead of the same place you always go. Or, it may be taking that leap of faith that you have felt led to. Whatever it is, I hope you do it. We only get one shot at this, don’t you dare waste it. Go live your Life in the Dash!