When everything goes wrong (& confronting your dream life)

On a recent road trip across Mexico, from Puerto Vallarta inland to San Miguel de Allende, I experienced one of those can’t-help-but-laugh-so-you-don’t-cry moments that also brought about something akin to an epiphany - and I think it’s worthy of sharing.

Let me back up and paint you the scene.

In the days before the road trip, my partner and I had endeavoured to take two lives (plus that of one senior pug) and fit everything we owned into a 2007 Jeep Patriot. Not an easy feat, mind you, but we were determined to head out on the road with as little baggage as possible (the irony, friends).

Tension ensued, warring needs and values showed up, but we managed to get that Jeep packed to its’ very gills (and then some) and head out only a few hours behind schedule.

We thought that the tough part was behind us, but oh-oh! As we would find out not minutes later, it was only just beginning.

We had not even made it out of the city when there was a noise and a pulse of warm air into the car. I’ll spare you the mechanical details, but after hours calling and knocking on doors on a Sunday (c-l-o-s-e-d) we came to the conclusion that the car was *probably* still road worthy, we would just have no air conditioning.

Not the end of the world, right?

Well except that we were driving across in country in mid 30’s temps with a dog in the backseat and 8 nights of accommodations pre-paid in various places around the country.

But the fun didn’t stop there! Our poor old dog got altitude sickness and then I’m sure heat stroke at least twice (I felt like the worst mom in the world), I arrived to our final destination with a heat rash all up my back, we ended up going over budget on mild conveniences to keep us comfortable in the heat, we weren’t sleeping and yes, we fought (I’m big enough to admit it!).

And finally, on the last day of our road trip we got stopped. By cartel. And then by police. On the side of the road for 40 minutes in 36 degrees Celsius, arguing about a “fine” with an officer who was determined to make his monthly salary off of us.

And through it all, I couldn’t help but shake my head at the ridiculousness of our lost time, heat strokes, fights, challenges, stress, and more.

Because throughout it all I found myself sitting in the passenger seat contemplating where else I could be, what else I could be doing, even who else I could be doing it with. 

And you know what the cool part is? I kept coming up with NOTHING.

In fact, even better than that, I came to the conclusion that despite how upended and backward the plans for the week had become, despite the trials and upsets and rashes and confusion, there was in fact NOWHERE else I’d rather be. And NO ONE else I would rather be with.

How’s that for a lightbulb moment?

So, why do I share this with you here?

Because it occurred to me that this is an INCREDIBLE metric for understanding if you’re living your dream life. In that moment I knew deep down that I truly was, because I wasn’t planning an escape from it. Even though it kinda sucked in that moment. Even though nothing was smelling of roses. Even though I was uncomfortable and stressed and disappointed.

I didn’t want to cut and run. I wasn’t envisioning being alone in Greece 😉 I wanted to be there, in that car, with that person and that dog, arguing with Mexican police about the laws of the country (I mean, not as much that part) and working with my partner as a team against the police (ha!).

And I figure THAT is how you know if you’re living the life you should be living. If in the midst of the chaos, the bad, the stress, the lowly bits, you still think to yourself…

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” <3