Welcome Wanderers!
- Michelle
- Aug 20, 2015
- 3 min read
Have you ever considered what you'd do, if you could do anything today?
A friend of mine was recently complaining about how she could get a much better job and move up in her field if she had a certain certification, which she claimed she didn't have the time, or (especially) the money to pay for it.
I wished for moment, that I had the money to give her, so she could take the class. But then, I wondered, would she really be happy?
Maybe she'd hate the course, or not do the work. Or, maybe she'd move up at work, and still be unhappy.
It's too hard to predict what might happen.
So no, I decided, it probably wouldn't be wise for me to give her the money (if I had it).
But that got me thinking: what would you do if money wasn't an issue?
Now, I'm not talking about extreme things, like running out to buy a solid-gold yacht with 18 bedrooms, 19 housekeepers and a champagne fountain with chocolate-dipped strawberries floating around it.
I mean the more real stuff; the stuff we want to do if we suddenly had an extra grand a month at our disposal. Or, the stuff that we might do if we really pinch pennies and skip lattes for a couple months. What would it be?
I thought about this a second, and the first thing I thought? Travel. Travel more.
And my first thoughts weren't "travel to Hawaii to visit my old friend there", or "fly to Florida to see my sister".
It was more like "explore more: the White Mountains, and the summits I haven't climbed yet, or all the NH campgrounds I haven't visited, the lakes I haven't swam in, the ponds I haven't fished at, the quaint country shops, the delicious restaurants" - all of it!
I wish The North Face hadn't copywritten "Never Stop Exploring" because that's really my motto.
I'm often torn between the nomad inside me, screaming to get out the door and find someplace new, and the more logical side of me, pointing to my almost empty bank account and shaking her head. It' s an on-going struggle that's been happening - in particular - for the past 2+ years, since my son was first diagnosed with cancer, and I had to stop working to care for him.
During this period, it's been a huge challenge to find fun, interesting, and educational things for us to do...with almost no money.
After so much practice though, I've gotten pretty creative at finding free or cheap things to pass the time. Sure, even people who've never set foot in New Hampshire have heard about our state's biggest attractions, like hiking Mount Washington, or the many amusement parks (Water Country, Storyland, etc.), and, don't get me wrong, we'll cover more "touristy" activiities from time to time. But what about those hiking paths down the street from you with the Glacier rocks your kids love to climb? Or the tiny waterfall that's only mentioned on one other website, but is great for cooling off on a hot summer's day? Or the moutains that are too small to be mentioned in guide books, but are perfect to hike with your little ones? I believe these hidden gems are the greatest treasure. I've been fortunate to stumble upon quite a few, but I "never stop exploring" and I can't wait to share them all with you. This is why I started this blog; to share my years of research with you....and save you hours of scouring the web for ideas. Enjoy, and thanks for wandering my way! :)
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