Sometimes, I think I’d make a great cult leader. To be clear, it would be a fun, upbeat cult. With a splash of vodka in the Kool-Aid; nothing sinister.
“But Kat, you’re an awkward introvert.”
True.
But there is something I want to shout from the rooftops, something I’d be shouting while spooning ladlesful of red sugary water to whomever was thirsty for a good time.
But first, let’s flash back to less than two years ago. I worked a weekend shift. I sat in a big office with many cubicles, all empty except mine. Two large bright glowing monitors beamed blue light into my bloodshot eyes. I had multiple tabs open – whenever the phone rang, I had to be ready for who and what was on the other end.
I’d sit through my 10-hour shifts, longing to escape. Craving freedom, desperate to find a way out.
I think, had some aspects of that job been a little bit cushier, say, no weekend shifts and no uniform (the wool pants cinched just below my chest, clamping around my ribs with what I am confident in saying was anaconda like grip. The legs looked like they were designed to fit a telephone pole…) I may not have had as deep a drive to escape.
And that’s a little scary too: how easy it is to exist in OK. It’s not bad enough for change, but not good enough that you feel inspired, fulfilled, and grow.
We’re in Northern Wisconsin now, parked at the end of one of our best friends’ long driveway. The edge of her property is guarded by towering pines that circle the sprawling green lawn, her gorgeous two-story home, and incredibly bright blooms bursting from all the plants she’s nurtured and tended around the front porch.
I’ve started a love affair with cheese curds.
We’ve danced to live music, hiked through forests along rivers. We cheered her boy’s on during a high school football game, which kept getting prolonged due to lightning. The bleachers emptied as everyone scattered for shelter, before resuming a half hour later around the field illuminated in white fluorescent light. Their team won, and we joined her in rushing the soggy grass, congratulating the team. Their cheeks still red from all the effort.
We bought coffee from a young woman who converted a shipping container into a mini coffee shop she’s set up on her grandfather’s property, where he sells antiques. I walked along slowly, admiring the old milk jugs, bedpans, and metal chairs mottled with rust and paint while she whipped together our iced mochas.
It is such a joy to be able to spend time with people we care about, here in this beautiful place where wildflowers are everywhere. Unencumbered by the stress of having to get back to “real life,” and fly home.
Change is hard, we’re wired to resist it. And apologies if any of this comes off as self-righteous, I sometimes annoy myself with all the rah-rah stuff. But the fact of the matter is, it hasn’t escaped me. I’m still here, loving this. We worked for over two years to make this happen. It’s unconventional, and that’s what is cool about it. I think a lot of people preach their self-help in the realm of the conventional – conflating monetary gain and materialism with a worthwhile life: “look at me, I followed my heart, and now I’m rich and you can be rich too…” whereas Chad and I are excited because, look at us. We minimized, simplified, and backed our way out of many of the “traps” of modern-day life. We’re learning new things. Having incredible experiences. We’ve enriched our lives in ways we never dreamed possible. Who knows what’s next?
But for now, what could be better?
So, I guess, when it comes to me shouting from the rooftops – it’s no secret what I’d lose my voice over.
And, as far as me becoming a cult leader? Don’t worry, I won’t quit my day job 😉
Subscribe, and follow me – in the least cult-like way possible 🙂
TRAVEL & ADVENTURE 