It appears that I may have overestimated my ability to explain my current circumstance, so lets take this explaining for a whirl. Folks keep asking me, how are you doing what you are doing?
For starters, I am employed! And I LOVE my work. I am working as a remote nomad during all of my adventures and have been working from home for over 3 years now. In fact, I worked 9.5 hours today alone! I am currently the Director of a Private Practice based in Indianapolis, Indiana (pretty ironic that this is only a couple of hours away from where I grew up), and I work part time as a clinical therapist seeing about 10-15 patients per week – all online.
I pivoted out of the corporate space earlier this year and to be transparent, I enjoyed corporate, too. I reveled in the fast paced environment that allowed me to excel, and I owe the start of my career to a corporation that took a chance on allowing a young manager to lead. I built connections with colleagues that will last throughout the entirety of my career, but I was not meant for that environment. I was meant to be in a community based practice, filled with warmth and spirit and people that have similar professional values. My experience there blended into what I am doing now and taught me how to manage my time efficiently (I was once told that I fit more into one day than most folks do in a week – it works for me!). I have mastered the art of turning “off” when I am off, and I put my best foot forward each day that I am working. My best foot forward typically looks like hitting the gym or going for a run in the morning, having about 4 hours of meetings mixed into my days, and the rest of my day hours to accomplish other work duties needed (payroll, managing employees, all the operational day to day ins and outs of running a business). I find that I achieve my goals best when I slow down whilst simultaneously living in chaos.
Along with working full time, I am traveling across the United States throughout the next month, and have been for all of November. I have had the pleasure of staying with my college bestie {hi kelso, thanks for reading all of my blogs and being one of my biggest supporters – this past month has been incredible, and I wish I could freeze time so we could soak it in a little more. Alright, won’t get too sappy}. At the end of this week I will be embarking on my solo part of my US trip. I have a few friends that I am meeting in different cities, but for the most part, Dansby and I will be trekking along the West Coast on our own. I am staying in Airbnbs throughout the entirety of my travels, because a girl loves a bed. Fiscally it ends up being cheaper than rent in Austin, if that tells you anything about the rent I was paying in the great state of Texas (will always miss you regardless).
So I think that answers all of the questions? Maybe? Honestly, I am winging a majority of my adventures right now. I Reddit cool things to do and learn about different places from the folks living in the communities that I am visiting. I love to immerse myself in the geography and culture in which I am living, and that means becoming friends with strangers! Everyone on this earth has such a unique story, and I will never let go of the desire to learn more about who each individual person is. Do not get me wrong, with age I have grown to be more introverted (me?! an introvert? ha!), but I value the time I have to relax and recharge when it is only Dansby and I in our quaint little places in the cities that we stop in. In summary, we learn best through history, or at least I do, and if history has taught me anything, it is that we as a species grow and thrive based on our communities. The more that we learn about the world, the more that we change our perspective that allows us to excel and propel ourselves into a greater life.
I don’t have much to say today, other than how grateful I am. To travel. To have a family that loves me to come home to. To feel a warm bed and snuggle with my dog. To fly. This is my 102nd flight (yeah, I counted all my boarding passes since I was 16 years old – who was going to stop me?!), and to think I have been on that many airplanes is mind blowing. I have seen views that I never knew existed, and I have cried to a romcom while up in the clouds (multiple times, actually, a majority of the time). I have fulfilled some of my early childhood dreams, and I have created so many more while in the sky.
All to conclude, I have the perspective that though I may be scared and already have been throughout a multitude of moments on this journey, this is a moment in time that I want to cherish. I watched 13 going on 30 and it reminded me of one simple thing – what would 13 year old me have wished for? Five years from now, will I be happy with my character? Will I relish in who I have become or have regrets that I did not become the person I knew that I could be? Would my grandpa be proud to call me his granddaughter? It may seem silly that 13 going on 30 could create such life-centric questioning, but seriously, I do not want to look at myself in the mirror and not like who I have become one day.
13 year old me would not be able to grasp who I am, and I think she would give me one giant hug – for overcoming, loving despite hurt, caring about others, remaining steadfast and open, growing some callouses, making some really amazing friends, and challenging myself in every way. 13 year old me would think that I am darn cool, and that is enough for me. It has to be –
I want to remember that I will always be enough for me.
It takes but a simple step out of the door and into a restaurant, a walking path, a mountain, a coffee shop, to change things. You are only one interaction away from your life completely changing. It may seem bizarre but I can remember meeting specific people who have changed my life. Not all of these folks are still in my life, but their impact changed the course of my life and the way I think. I recognize that I could turn the corner tomorrow and meet the love of my life, and all of my independent travels could be challenged with a tag-along (sorry future partner, I promise to make calling you a tag-along up to you, whoever you are!). I could meet someone who changes the way I think about my career. Someone could open my eyes to my new favorite book, song, place to live, or something tasty (I mean, I did try 8 new genres of food this year, so this is highly likely!).
To remember that these moments are fleeting – and oh so short in the grand scheme of things – it feels surreal. I am so, so, so lucky to be living in the moments that will inevitably continue to shape me, and impact who I am as a wife, mother, sister, friend, professional, you name it! These moments, these tiny little moments on this journey – I hope to hold them close and never forget who I am, or how I got here, or all it took to become this version of me.
xoxo,
makalah marie
p.s. TLDR (too long didn’t read) – I am a digital nomad working full time, traveling the world with my dog, with people that love and support me along the way (both near and far, miss you sis. you know you will always feel like a piece of home to me. miss you already!).
Now say it with me, “I am darn cool! I am darn cool! I am darn cool!“
Wellness with Makalah 
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