The Great Wide Open

Just the thought of the imminent trip makes me so happy and my smile so wide that it is impossible to hide from my colleagues. And being the lovely colleagues I know they are so happy for me. Which makes me smile even wider.

Riding the bike is just one part of what I look forward to. Traveling on a motorcycle is unlike every other form of traveling. You are outside. You feel the wind, the heat, the cold, the rain. You smell the smells. The good ones and the nasty ones. You get hit by bugs. Some of them feel like rocks. Apart from the gear you're wearing, you are unprotected. You feel each turn, each incline and descend. The difference in temperatures between sun and shade, between higher and lower altitudes. It is not as strenuous as riding a bicycle but it is not easy, either. You better make sure that your attention is 100% on the ride and anything around you that could potentially kill you. It is like meditation. At 80 miles per hour.

Another part I am very excited about is the 'big unknown'. As a German I'm used to planning and knowing where I am and where I am going and how and when to get there. But I'm trying very hard this time, to not plan at all. Other than collecting names and numbers of friends and families I could stay with along the route. The route I will end up taking, not the route I've planned out to the last mile. Not having to stick to a schedule. Not having to be at a certain place at a certain time. I'm just so curious and excited to find out where I will end up, who I will meet along the way, and what I will end up doing, seeing, experiencing.

The most difficult but also most exciting part is the absence of planning. It's so hard, not to give into that nagging voice that still tries to get me to figure out what to do next and secure my next paycheck even before I've left Google. And it's challenging but also a lot of fun ignoring it. I just KNOW that I will be fine. If I've learned one thing during my time at Google and if there's one thing I love about being 40+ it's that I can fully trust my gut. I will find a way. I will figure it out. And THAT is the part I am looking forward to the most.