Have you ever thought about butterflies? They are incredible creatures that somehow  start their lives as caterpillars. I mean, honestly, caterpillars are pretty much victims of their environments. They can’t do much, they can’t travel far, they just exist. All they seem to do is eat, sleep, and repeat. Butterflies though, they are majestic creatures that have total freedom. They even have been known to migrate upwards of 3000 miles. 

So how does the humble caterpillar turn in to the majestic butterfly?

Well, it’s a pretty chaotic process in which the caterpillar wraps itself in a cocoon and releases enzymes that dissolve itself. Literally, caterpillars digest themselves- destroying their bodies into a goo and then, somehow, in a miraculous way, come out the other side as a butterfly.

So what’s the point of all this?

Aside from offering a pretty cool biology lesson in butterflies, I think this last week, in a lot of ways, has felt a bit like what caterpillars experience in their cocoons.

The two of us have spent several months talking about hitting the road and traveling. We worked on the van, talked to our families and friends, saved money, etc. We did everything we could to prepare ourselves for the new life we were both adopting.

Everything seemed to fall in to place. That is until a week ago.

The last week has been absolute chaos. Things quickly turned from being hypothetical conversations to real life. 

We both struggled with the feeling that we were dismantling our lives piece by piece. 

We sold the majority of our belongings and parted ways with things we loved that brought us comfort. We left our jobs, and with them, a sense of security; all for the hope of finding a renewed lease on life.

It was a sobering week. Every conversation felt different, heavy. Every decision felt like it would alter our lives. As each day passed, we both started to question our decision to travel. 

It was a crucible of sorts, and we knew it.

 The final nail in the coffin of our old lives was a tearful goodbye from our friends and family. As we drove away, our friends and family waving goodbye with tears in their eyes, we both knew that our lives would never be the same again. Just like the caterpillar, we effectively destroyed our lives as we knew them. 

Our hearts were heavy as we drove out of Lincoln. We knew that we could not go back, and if we did, life would never be the same as when we left.

As we drove away and the distance grew between us and the lives we left behind, our excitement began to return. After months of planning, we were finally able to be free. Just like the caterpillar, we came out on the other side. Now, sitting here after our first day on the road, we are hopeful that we will soon grow our wings.