It started with a question, "hey Eric, what do you want to do after college?". "Honestly", I said, "no f###ing idea." I can lie and pretend like I was worried about life after college, but for some reason I was unusually calm. Since my sophomore year I had this dream in the back of my mind of traveling the world. Sure, it would be expensive and I might have to get a job first but eventually I would do it. As time went on, I concentrated more on school and real world responsibilities, the thought of traveling became fleeting. Then my priorities began to shift the more I realized how short life is. "What do I want to get out of this life i'm given?", these thoughts tend to flow more often when your father is a certified motivational preacher, "Amen!" And I came to the realization that I control my own life, if I want to do something, I have to be the one to figure out how to do it. Things such as starting an entry level job shouldn't control when I choose to begin my professional future. So, I quietly came to the conclusion that I will travel the world when I'm done with school. No waiting, if you wish to do something the hardest step is the one forward into saying, "yes, I will do this and no one can stop me, push hesitation aside go follow that dream". The decision must be yours and yours alone and you must do it for yourself. Selfish I know, but now I will know what it feels like to leap without looking, curiosity driven, adrenaline addict, ready for anything.
Realizing I was leaving, I needed to decide on a place to go. Enter my brother Quinn. In the latter part of my last semester, prior to his entrance into medical school, Quinn comes up to me and says, "I'm going on a trip to backpack Patagonia with Bryson", *Ding, "mind if I come along?" I said. Quinn shrugs and hides a smirk, "Well I don't see why the f### not" Boom, I was in, strap on your seat belt because your about to ride the craziest roller coaster of emotions you could ever imagine.
