I have been told I have already lived several lifetimes which I find odd because I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.
My father passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in 2019. One minute he was here, one minute he was not. Apart from not getting to say goodbye or resolving a truckload of issues, I was suddenly faced with my own mortality. If I were struck down tomorrow I would be selfish to complain, I have lived more in my short time than any one person could hope for. I have an amazing daughter, partner and family, yet I can’t help but feel I need to do more, see more, live more.
Catalyst Plus
2023 was a year of travel and amazing experiences. I was fortunate enough to work with Catalyst+ on a few assignments teaching digital marketing to people in less fortunate countries. I made wonderful friends and experienced an amazing array of different cultures. Most importantly I learned to appreciate the life I have, the country I live in and the privileges that are mine simply because of where I was born.
Digital Nomad
It’s a buzzword you hear a lot these days, people travelling the globe while working remotely. Like many exciting adventures, this is a realm usually reserved for young people in their 20s and 30s. Well, it is now for people in their 20s, 30s and 50s. I had a return to the Everglades kayaking trip planned for March this year ( 2023 ) that somehow turned into a trying out the digital nomad lifestyle in Costa Rica. It was awesome. I managed to record videos, finish a commercial illustration project for Tigercat International, make a few paintings and finish my first Procreate brush set. Being a really expensive place I think I managed to break even. I learned a lot about what to do next time and keep it more affordable but overall a great experience.
The Pacific Northwest, Alone on a boat
In 2022 I decided that I would take it up a notch and did what any sane person would do. I bought an offshore sailboat on the other side of the country. I moved aboard shortly after and left on an epic adventure to one of the most remote places on Earth, the Great Bear Rain Forest. I travelled alone for months through crazy conditions that still keep me awake at night. My trip started in late May and went until November. I named my boat Karinoyo which is a Japanese word for “this transient world”. That is what it was to me, a world that I could move around from place to place. When I made it north I was completely isolated and alone. It was terrifying and beautiful. I know other people have done far more solo sailing and that is fine, for me and my comfort level this was next-level shit, totally epic I am forever changed. On top of getting my captain’s licence during this trip, I learned what felt like a lifetime’s worth of sailing knowledge that I am sure will I use again at some point. Sadly Karinoyo has recently sold. The adventures that lay ahead all took me too far away from my family for too long. I would have either sailed south to Cape Horn, East to French Polynesia or west against the trade winds through the Panama Canal and north to Greenland. I hope to check all of those boxes off at some point and feel I laid excellent groundwork for those or any future adventure. Thank you for keeping me safe Karinoyo, fair winds.