There’s No Time Like Now

Ever since my dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, there has been a sense of urgency to my life. I seem to hop on more flights every year, just as eager to get home as I am to see everything that the world has in store.

I don't want to wait

I don’t want to wait until I’m retired to see the planet. Because who knows if I will be able to travel by the time that happens? Corporations often purchase the best and healthiest years of our lives, leaving us with little more than our retirement fund by the time we’ve regained access to our time.

It is an oddity to me – the idea that we’ve monetized everything down to our lives. The devices that we use, our agricultural system, and our economy revolve around the idea that we must produce and consume until the day that we die. But this idea leaves very little room for living.

Traveling the world

Dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in his 50s. He was fortunate enough to grab life by the horns and travel the world early in his life. And I’m glad he did, because he doesn’t feel confident in his ability to do so now.

His travels took him across the world, where he had the opportunity to chase dragons, hitchhike, and learn how to say "love" in multiple languages. First, he went to California to see the ocean. Not long after, he was drawn to tree logging and fishing boats off the coast of Alaska. And then he became a merchant marine.

Eventually, his travel lust began to flicker, and then he made it back to Michigan where he started to settle down. He began trading uncertainty for stability, paving a life for his children.

Conscious about my choices

Today, he looks back on his travels fondly, sharing stories about the food he ate while sailing across the ocean, and his many many girlfriends.

Although Parkinson’s has substantially changed his comfort with traveling, I know that he’s grateful for the years he spent abroad. I’m not sure what my own life has in store for me. But looking at the progression of Parkinson’s disease makes me acutely aware of the fragility of it.

I don’t want to live irresponsibly. But I want to be conscious about the choices that I’m making, because I could end up with Parkinson’s or something that’s as equally earth-shattering.

Valuing my time

Who I share my time with, and how I go about experiencing the world feels extremely important to me. Because I know that I won’t be unlimited in my abilities forever.

So, when I get the chance to board an airplane, I want to do it. I want to gulp up the sweet scent of Paris in the middle of the night, to sleep under the desert stars, and to laugh as hard as I can about the madness of it all.

Then, when the time comes for me to slow down, I’ll be able to think back on all of the moments that glimmer in my past.