As I’m writing this, I’m sitting in the Dominican Republic with my husband. We’ve been here since the fifth, and it’s been so amazing that we’ve extended our stay an extra four days.
The weather is perfection.
It’s 80 degrees every day with a breeze that rustles the palm fronds and balances out the heat and moments of stillness. The Airbnb condo we’re staying at is modern and gorgeous, and located in a small town near La Romana on the Caribbean side of the Dominican Republic.
This trip was planned about two weeks before we left. While it somewhat replaced a longer visit to Las Vegas where we had a condo stay that fell through, it was more of an impromptu trip. Even with so much uncertainty around income for both my husband and I, we decided to go for it and book our flights, rental car and condo.
Two years ago, I would’ve thought this to be irresponsible. There’s still a voice in the back of my head saying this isn’t the best financial decision, but it’s a faint murmur.
The resounding sentiment is that this experience is absolutely worth it.
The only other time we’ve both had a similar amount of flexibility was back in 2008 between graduation and my work start date when we spent ten weeks in Europe. Back then, we were young and knew it’d be difficult to have such a long period of time to travel once we started work. The idea was that we’d get the travel itch out of our system and settle down into predictable careers.
We’ve grown a lot, gotten a little wiser, and adopted an alternative mindset since then. I don’t buy into that idea anymore—that there needs to be any settling or accepting things as the way they should be. Certainly there are benefits and downsides to every decision. If a stable paycheck with benefits is important to you, it comes along with limited vacation days, a loss of flexibility and added responsibilities.
Even though my personality loves stability, I opted for the opposite because I desired freedom more.
It’s an interesting balance—the desire for freedom and for stability. Everyone has a need of both but in differing amounts during different times. I needed more when I was younger, but I’m finding I need less and less nowadays. This will likely change in the future, such as when my husband and I decide to start a family or in older age, but we both have the same intention.
We’re both focused on setting the groundwork and embracing a life of experience and freedom.
The desire for stability that shows up as practicality will always be a part of me, yet it’s proving to no longer be the dominating force. This graceful balance has a tinge of newness, yet there’s this feeling of peace and contentment that tells me this is a fitting harmony—at least for now. It’s hard to fully describe the thoughts and sensations that I’m experiencing right now.
I’m feeling more aligned and true to myself than I’ve ever felt before.
Maybe it’s the Caribbean air. While I’m sure the sun and breeze positively contributes, I sense that the path we’re uncovering will be a beautiful, fully experiential journey of growth, love and meaning. My husband and I know that while the path will have its challenges, we wouldn’t have it any other way.
We’re spending today writing and working a bit before lounging in the sun with a cool drink in hand. In the next week, I’ll be finally introducing the cyclical transitory process I mentioned in a previous article that has helped me to make continuous meaningful progress in my life. Thank you for reading and being an avenue for me to express my heart to the world. ❤️