FLORIDA, HERE WE GO
A move five years in the making
I’ve always enjoyed stories that begin with, “If you’re reading this, that means I’m dead” or something equally dramatic. So I suppose it’s an appropriate time to say, if you’re reading this, that means I am no longer in Oregon. The day has come for me to leave Portland for good and I am both terrified and excited for many reasons. Hope and possibility lies on the horizon—literally—as we make our way to our new home in Orlando, Florida. The chances of us returning to the City of Roses are slim.
When we finally told our family, friends, and colleagues a few months ago that we had decided to quit our jobs and move across the country with two kids and a dog, we got a lot of perplexed looks, followed by many questions, the most common one being “Why?” I knew what people must have been thinking when they asked these questions, and they’re not wrong. While it seems like the most random, out of the blue decision, I can assure you it is not.
This move is the culmination of five years of thinking, crying, arguing, rationalizing, and discussing many, many things—everything from big picture questions like, “Where we do want to live if we relocate?” to “How the heck do we do this?” and “WHY are we doing this?” to more philosophical topics such as, “What do we want out of life?” and “What do we not want?”
In the end, Dameion, my partner in life and I decided that we are in control of our lives and I’m happy to say we made this decision consciously with no alcohol or drugs involved. We are planners by nature, especially me. Planning allows you to safeguard against uncertainties, but at some point, I had to accept the fact that I don’t have all the answers, that it’s okay if everything doesn’t line up perfectly at the right time. Life is full of unknowns anyway.
I also realized that I can’t possibly write about our journey to Florida—and wow, what a journey it has been!—in a single post, so I will split it into multiple posts…perhaps 3, 4, or 10. I don’t know yet.
Back to the question of why.
I can give you the short answer that we gave to everyone who asked, which is: “We’re looking for a new adventure.” That is true—we are looking for a new adventure, and Florida is the furthest we can go without leaving the country—but the real reasons are much more complicated than that.
Perhaps a more appropriate question is, “Why not?” After all, we are at a perfect juncture in our lives. We are healthy. Our kids are healthy. We have money in the bank. There’s never been a better time. So why not make the change now?
When we are young, we’re told, both implicitly and explicitly, that stability and hard work is the key to happiness. This is certainly true in immigrant families like the one I come from. During my primary school years, I went to a Catholic school run by nuns, where I was told to follow orders, stay in line with the other kids, listen to your elders and do the work. I was not taught to think critically about the world outside of mine or to ask questions other than the basic logistical ones. While I do think there is value in staying within the status quo, I also know that at some point, it stops working. Dissatisfaction and apathy soon follows and before you know it, you’ve dug yourself into a hole that’s difficult to get out of. You want to do more, or at least do different things, but you’ve been taught to stay within your comfort zone. As the old saying goes, “Don’t rock the boat.”
One of the biggest misconceptions about life is the idea that there is always a tomorrow. We forget that our days on earth are finite. Nothing is truly guaranteed. So the idea that you will travel more, open up a business, move to an exotic location, or spend time with your grandkids, for example, is a pipe dream…unless you work to make that happen, because one day, you may be absolutely fine and the next day, you’re not. I’ve seen this happen. I’ve heard too many stories about waiting for the “right time” to do something but the right time is usually too late.
For us, the time is now. I’ll be on the road for the next 7-8 days as we drive across the country. We have about 3,046 miles and eight states to cover, so wish us luck! I’ll be popping in here occasionally for some road trip updates, and once we get settled in Orlando, I’ll go back and revisit the whole process, starting from the very beginning. And if you want to hear more stories from me, be sure to click that Subscribe button!
See you online soon!
Hoang
Wishing you the best!