Counting down the days

I'm leaving for my first destination in my round the world trip - Iceland - in a week. A week!! Ummm, holy crap where did the time go??? I have to admit that as excited as I am to get started, I'm also a little bit nervous. That's right – I'm nervous. Nervous you ask? Nervous you say?? What? Why? When you get to tour the world? Whatever reason would you have for being nervous? Probably because this is completely unknown for me, so I'm a little nervous in regards to expectations. Understandable right? But yeah I know I'll get over that soon enough (he hopes).

So I've spent much of the past couple of weeks going over lists, checking them twice and so on and so on just to make sure I ve got everything I need for this round the world madness. Despite the planning I still kinda feel like I'm forgetting something and of course knowing me, I probably have/will (please re-visit post 1 for a quick recap on Steve's amazing organization skills). I've been thinking a lot lately on how I got here; meaning - how I got from sitting in culinary school discussing the many merits of the Meyer Lemon to all of a sudden packing up and deciding to take a trip around the world. Truth be told it just sort of happened. I remember saying to my good buddy Shawn back in March that I wanted to do it. Course we were drinking quite a bit of Scotch at the time and I could have said hey I want to eat my way around the world but somehow the idea was born right then and there.

Chef Wright , one of my favourite instructors at culinary school and whose opinion I actually cared about - when I asked him if I should do this - told me without pause: "what the hell, you're young(ish) you might as well go out and explore the world before you get old (er) and have to face responsibility". I'm like ok, thanks for the directional push, I definitely needed that but what does that mean – before I face responsibility? All my life and in particular, the last two and half years I've faced responsibility. Man, based on that alone I could write a bloody book on what responsibility truly means (I won't though). I know some people may not think I have any concept of responsibility but I do. I've just done it in my own way – whatever that means.

I guess what it comes down is choice. I could spend my life wondering and waiting or I can just get the hell out there and do it - get out of my comfort zone and make a move. I made my choice and now I'm gonna live with it. No regrets, no looking back. I'd say that's a pretty good attitude to have when you're about to go to places you've only dreamed about, don't you?