When I change the way I look at things, the things I look at change.
First and foremost a picture from the trip….
This was taken at Black Lake Bayou National Park.
I have so much to tell all of you I really don’t know where to begin. The trip down was smooth and we arrived intact. The trip had many ups and downs. Our family was happy to see us and we had plenty of laughs, there were however, some tears.
On Easter Sunday I received a call from our neighbor at 6:45 am informing me that our house was broken into. To make a long and painful story short I came to find out from the police that one of the suspects was the 18-year-old man w/child that my daughter had been wanting to date. He was caught but subsequently released because he was caught outside of our home and the evidence techs could not find any of his fingerprints because he wore gloves. 2 other suspects got away on foot.
The only positive thing to come out of this is that they were caught early enough that nothing from the house was taken. They ransacked our home and did about a thousand dollars worth of damage getting in.
I sat with a bunch of feelings and emotions over this. I wanted to blame my daughter for the actions of another person. I wanted to blame her for not listening to us about this guy in the first place. I don’t think she understood the gravity of her lack of decision-making skills until I told her what had happened, I’m not even sure she still get’s it.
I stood on the same roads I had walked on Thanksgiving but this time at night. I looked up to a million stars in the sky and I knew the answer was being provided, that I needed to take a leap of faith.
My wife and I put a deposit on a rental house in Louisiana. We will be moving in early May. I turned in my 2 week notice today at work. We have a little money saved and some of my wife’s 401k to get by on. Some people think I’m stupid for leaving and not having jobs to go to. Call me stupid, but I feel a sense of peace about life that I have never felt before. I feel confident and capable, today.
LSU has a chapter in Monroe, LA which is about 14 miles from where we will be living. I am going to enroll part-time and pick up a job to get some money rolling. My wife has 20 years of accounting in her background and I see no reason why we can’t find something.
I am continuing to write on the book and I have many plans. I feel a spirit of adventure that I haven’t felt since I was a boy. It is an incredible feeling.
I plan on posting up until the time we move then I will be taking a break to get the new place in order.
I am swamped right now just getting back but wanted to share this with you.
I will be writing soon.
Take Care…
Bob D.
Beyond The End of the Road's Blog 
Comments on: "When I Change the Way I Look at Things…" (8)
Hey Bob…. a few relevant reflections:
1. Break-in:
I too was broken into in the past couple days. It was my car. I lost about $700 in belonginings that perhaps shouldnt have been in the car.
I took this as a fabulous opportunity to practice some new thinking. First off, I simply asked myself, “What did you expect?” Leaving belongings in cars is highly dangerous. Even in our safe and peaceful neighbourhood.
I found out from the police that a group of thieves was targeting my particular brand of car due to a security defect.
I then further asked myself, “Do you own your belongings or do they own you”? If I own them, then I will not miss them as much. Then I took the big leap of new thinking. I stopped thinking about it. I continued to remind myself that the subject was over and closed and was no longer worthy of ruminating unless therapeutic… like this reply. Other than instances like this, I dont spend any time thinking about it. For me this is a stretch. But I know that if I refuse to regret or resent, I am almost certainly on safe ground.
2. Louisianna:
I visited family down there in 2005. I golfed for a week with a favourite uncle. I was single at the time, fresh off a painful divorce. Had it not been for my kids, I would likely have looked at moving there. I love the area I visited. Great economoy, great cost of living, great people.
Glad you are enjoying your trip.
Ciao
Chaz
Thanks for the insight Chaz.
All I can say is wow. I can literally FEEL the spirit of adventure in your words and the lightness with which you are dealing with all that is going on and it is good good good.
David is from Shreveport and we go back there for extended family events. A meeting between us is inevitable and I can’t help but marvel at that…
Not that you need my two cents but I agree with everything you are doing. Enjoy this time. Many people never know what it feels like.
Thanks Elz.
Awesome Bob. Maybe I can come visit you someday.
You can visit me anytime you like.
Go for it! A few months ago we upped and left the UK and are now living on the continent. Taking control of life makes you feel so alive. Enjoy the adventure, its can only be enriching!
Thanks.