The List

The city sleeps and I lay awake, my four bedposts serving as some sort of metaphorical comfort zone. Thoughts racing through my mind as I repeatedly ask myself, how did I end up here? I am 26, single, unemployed and living at home with my mother.

In order to answer that question we need to start from the beginning. As high school came to an end instead of being concerened about prom dresses and college applications, I made a list of cities I would live in and a vow to seek adventure.

The list was beautiful and began with Australia. At the time my friends were attending first year university parties, I was backpacking the entire east coast of Australia and living mainly in hostels. I swam with fish at the great barrier reef, jumped out of planes, met people from all over the world, partied to hard, got a few drunken tattoos and felt completely free.

After a year I decided to make my way to the big apple, which was next on the list and intern for an amazing music Public Relations firm. I loved every minute of it. I had never experienced a man made place with so much soul. Every corner was inspiring, everyone had an undeniable ambition, and every thing was art.

I decided what better place to pursue my university career then next on the list, Hawaii. The adjustment to a Hawaiian lifestyle was extremely hard, there wasn’t much there I was use to. The mentality of the local people was so different and more nature and family based then the city I grew up within. It was a complete shock to my system. By the end of course Hawaii was the only place I have ever been that felt like home, I lost myself there, found my happiness, and earned a university degree. By this time my friends and peers had well paying 9-5 jobs, and a settled lifestyle. Unsure of what career path to follow, I decided to return home and seek that idea of normality that I had given up so many years ago to pursue adventure.

That is how I ended up here. My passion for adventure and travel has been my success and demise. I would not change a thing, even though I do not much have much to show for myself. Life off the beaten path did not hold the glamorous ending I had hopped. All I have is a head full of great stories and a Facebook filled with thousands of friends in different networks.

I lay here in bed, jaded and down on my luck. My eyes start shutting, my mind begins to slow down and I start thinking it’s time to make a new list, it time to find new adventure.