A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

As a boy I had a goal to see all 50 states by age 50.

I'm a little late and a trip to Hawaii short, but I've seen a lot of America.

It's still not enough.

About 10 years ago, I came to the realization that I didn't have what it takes to be rich with money.

I also realized (I'm getting older) that none of us knows how much time we're given on this earth.

In a fast paced world, I thought "How great would it be to be rich with time?"

I've always been a stop and smell the roses kind of guy.  This might be possible.

A Life on the Road!  Unlimited adventure. No waiting for retirement.

Traditional thinking, rational fears, and inertia took their toll.

I never took the first step.

Ten Years Later

It's not like my life is bad.  It isn't.  It's pretty damn good.  I just always want more.

I live in Green Pond in Morris county, New Jersey.

It's as near to paradise as you can be within sight of New York City.

Sunset over Green Pond Mountain

Winter pond beneath 'The Pretty Tree'

In the ten years since my insight however, life has gotten faster.  The economy crashed in 2008 and the world awaits a full recovery, if there's ever to be one.  My mom has slipped further into the grasp of a decade long dementia which has ravaged her mind and body, leaving her soul inaccessible.  I've changed jobs by choice twice, but the Sunday evening dread of work remains.  I'm still living for the weekend, now 10 years older.  Waiting for retirement to travel, the traditional model, holds less appeal than ever.

The time is now.

It's my intention to travel full time now, while I'm still here, and still young enough to enjoy it.  My shorthand for this has always been that I want to be out climbing on a glacier, not viewing it from the deck of a cruise ship in retirement.  There are a lot of things to do before I can get going, but this time I have taken the first step of a long journey - I have started this blog.  In it, I'll be sharing my thoughts, my conclusions, my planning, and my actions.  I'm not very Internet savvy, but I'm not a phobe either.  If you've found this blog and read this far, you either know me, are being kind, or have found something interesting.  I'd love to hear from you.  Encouragement is welcome.

Next Post:

The basic plan & keeping a proper intention

Tom O'Connor - August 2013

When I was very young and the urge to be someplace else was on me, I was assured by mature people that maturity would cure this itch. When years described me as mature, the remedy prescribed was middle age. In middle age I was assured that greater age would calm my fever and now that I am fifty-eight perhaps senility will do the job. Nothing has worked.  John Steinbeck - Travels with Charley: In Search of America