Rediscover, Reinvent, Reconnect.

"From birth to death, from Monday to Monday, from morning to evening- all activities are routinized, and prefabricated. How should a man caught in this net of routine not forget that he is a man, a unique individual, one who is given only this one chance of living, with hopes and disappointments, with sorrow and fear, with the longing of love and the dread of the nothing and of separateness?"--Erich Fromm

I've been unemployed since early January and have been traveling on and off for the past two months. Yesterday I woke up on a Monday morning and decided to book a flight to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil for my birthday.

Now, most finance blogs that I subscribe to do not recommend traveling the world while unemployed. In fact, they recommend just the opposite; cut unnecessary expenses and focus on getting a job as soon as possible. However, I've found that my most irrational choices in life have always been the most rewarding,

For me, now is the time to do what I want. Now is the time to live my life. This may be the only chance I have where I will have consecutive months off at a time, quite possibly until I am retired. No wife, kids or a mortgage... no permanence in my life and no major responsibilities. How much can I experience and how much ground can I cover in 3 months while everyone is sitting in their cubicals day in and day out?

I have 5 more months left of unemployment and the job market is not improving. Is it possible that all this traveling may blow up in my face months down the road? Yes, but it's a chance I am willing to take.

While I am home for the time being, I have taken the time to make sure I do not get too comfortable and/or lazy; I rise early (as long as it's nice out), make breakfast, read the morning news (while enjoying some tea), work on tutorials in design and web development, blog, make amazing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with bananas (and eat them outdoors), pirate music and programs (not ships), have inappropriate conversations with Eric on G-mail, play guitar, run (I ate and drank my way across America). Nights usually consist of rock climbing, meditation, reading, music (and sometimes going to corner bar with Chase to have a beer, or two, or three).

In terms of finances, I used my frequent flyer miles to purchase the trip to Brazil for $51 dollars (taxes). I also made it a point to book several freelance jobs over the summer to finance the trip, pay back taxes on my unemployment and cover my rent for the last two months if I still can't find a job in the fall. Ultimately, my goal is not to dip into my emergency fund, but I am prepared to do so if need be.

Until then...Rediscover, reinvent, reconnect. Take a step back and ask yourself what's truly yours in life. Brazil...because I can.