That Will Be My Life

So according to dictionary.com a nomad is defined as person who does not stay long in the same place; a wanderer. So by definition I am, without a doubt, a nomad. Moving to  new towns every few months has its obvious perks but it also has evident obstacles.

Being away from friends and family for months at a time has had a massive impact on the way I think, live and act. These last 18 months have been nothing short of amazing, but it’s also been challenging and has forced me to develop in ways I otherwise wouldn’t.

Of course, a lot of what I’ve learned over the last year and a half isn’t entirely due to being hundreds of miles away from people I know and love and constantly moving across the country. A lot of it has to do with the thing everyone inevitably experiences – growing older.

Not to sound super cheesy or anything, but being in my early-mid twenties I’m constantly learning about what I want in life, how I want to achieve it and who I want to surround myself with. A few things that my traveling lifestyle – and personal development – has taught me are:

You Find Out Who Your Friends Are

Good ol’ Tracy Lawerence said it best- “you find out who your friends are… somebody’s gonna drop everything… never stop to think ‘what’s in it for me’ or ‘it’s way too far.’” Okay, so I definitely don’t expect my close friends to come to Kansas on a whim, but you get where I’m going with this.

I deeply respect my friends who understand that we both live busy lifestyles and that it’s okay if we don’t talk to each other every day, every week or sometimes every month. I love when you can pick up the phone after unintentionally not talking for a month and do some good old fashioned catching up. Shout out to you guys, mwah!

In college, I had a lot of friends. Being involved in greek life, work and other campus organizations, I was constantly hanging out with different crowds of people. This was great and all but 2 years later I can honestly say, of those friends I now only have a handful that I can call and confide in with absolute confidence. But that’s to be expected right? That’s all part of this whole growing up thing and I’m 100% okay with that.

What I’m not okay with is friends who refuse to understand the lifestyle I’ve chosen and be honestly happy for me. But that leads me to my next topic –

Focus on Your Desires, Not What Others Want For you

A lot of people question why I went to college for 4 years just to put my career on hold. I’m not explaining myself for the satisfaction of others, but rather to satisfy myself. So here’s my answer:

I have the opportunity to alleviate the thirst of my wanderlust on a regular basis with someone I love. I get to experience extraordinary places that I wouldn’t be able to see if I had a regular 9-5 corporate job. What I’m saying is THIS IS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY PEOPLE! The fact that I’m not working in a stifled office 40 hours a week is fucking awesome. And who’s to say I’m not building my resume for when I am ready to begin my career. I do freelance writing on the side that involves creating blogs, articles, press releases and more on a variety of topics. I actually just got hired on with a travel company as a contributing writer that I’m super excited about! Check them out, maybe you’ll see some articles written by me in the near future 🙂 http://vivalifestyleandtravel.com

Additionally, I live with someone who I consider to be a soulmate. Now with all the options in the world, the chances that I found someone at such a ripe age, who I am willing to spend the majority of my time with is so rare. HOW LUCKY AM I?!?! If you’ve ever read the book “Modern Love” by Aziz Ansari he talks about this concept in detail and its pretty good. He talks about how people in the modern dating world have so many options to meet someone through so many means (i.e. dating apps, bars, social media), that it’s a million times more difficult to settle down because you’re always wondering “is there someone else out there that’s better for me? More attractive? Shares more of my interests? etc.”

Freeport, Jamaica, December 2014

Unfortunately, what a lot of people DON’T understand is that relationships are an investment of time. People are unwilling to spend vast quantities of time with someone for fear that they could be spending it with someone potentially better for them. So the fact that I’ve found someone that I genuinely want to spend my time with and sincerely enjoy it – aside from all the other fish in the sea- is pretty freakin’ sweet.

Palo Duro Canyon in Canyon, Texas, Summer 2015

Small Town People Aren’t Always Nice

You know how in the movies, the small town people are kind, welcoming and polite? Yeah… not always the case. Because everyone knows everyone here, most of the time I’m treated like what I am – an outsider. It seriously can be more cliquey than a damn high school. I’m not saying that’s how everyone acts necessarily, but it’s definitely apparent in a lot of small-town folk.

If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em? Kidding. Plainview, Texas, April 2015

Time to Catch Up

Our adventures right now still just consist of closing out this project in Kansas. My last day of work here as the Project Clerk will be on Thursday but as I mentioned earlier, I did land some pretty cool freelance gigs for when I’m out of work so that’ll be awesome! Oh, and we’re still clueless as to when and where we will be moved next.

Next week is our travel week and we chose to go to Portland, OR! More on that next time! 🙂

Thank you for taking the time to read this and gain some insight on my nomadic lifestyle!

Until next time,

Jordania