Is Around the World Travel Right for Everyone?

At the Redlands Bowl watching the "California Guitar Trio"

A unique set of circumstances has led us to be on this amazing trip.  Elaine and I feel like it is going to be good for our family.  Since we first started contemplating this trip we agreed that we would pursue it until we hit a red light.  A red light could come in the form of an insurmountable obstacle or a feeling.  If an obstacle were insurmountable we would know by the accompanying feeling.  We've had no insurmountable obstacles or feelings that we should stop pursuing this.  In fact, things have come together so smoothly and we've felt so good about it that we grow daily more confident in our decision.

One thing I've asked myself repeatedly is, "If this is good and right for our family does that mean it would be good and right for every family?"  And conversely, "If this is NOT good and right for every family does that mean that it is NOT good and right for our family?"  To me the answer to both questions is "NO".  For me there are two factors and both need to line up:  timing and circumstances.  The right timing with the wrong circumstances or wrong timing with the right circumstances will affect the goodness and rightness of such a decision.  Our kids are of ages that make a trip like this easier without disrupting present or future schooling too dramatically.  Our circumstances are such that my employer and business partner are both supportive of me working from the road.  Doing things as a family will not be a new experience for us. Timing and circumstances are both on our side.

For Elaine and me, "rightness" has always been determined by paying attention to our feelings.  For us, "wrongness" is associated with feelings of being unsettled, doubt, or confusion.  For us "wrongness" is not the same as being undecided.  The kind of unsettled I'm talking about comes after making a decision and is only related to the decision itself and not to the ramifications of the decision.  If at that point we feel unsettled, doubtful, or confused then we know something is not right.  On the other hand "rightness" is associated with feelings of peace, confidence, and love.  If we feel peace about a decision it does NOT mean that we have all the answers and have worked out all of the details.  For us feeling peace only means that that decision, and nothing else, is right.  I must note that for us these feelings are different from our intellect and our emotions, both of which can sway us if we are not careful.

I can't say if what we are doing for our family is good and right for anyone else.  I can only say what is good and right for my family at this time and that this method of making decisions has served us well for a long time.  Things might be different in a different time and with a different set of circumstances.