The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.- Oprah Winfrey
The keys felt heavy and empowering in my hand.
They belonged to me.
A life-long childhood dream was one step closer to becoming my reality.
Calista Rose would be her name.
I had always loved that name and saved it for now.
Calista’s curves looked sleek and smooth.
Her 5.7 L Hemi would be more than enough to pull my little trailer, Phoenix,
through the highest mountain ranges and into the deepest valleys.
I recently read about a study that asked the elderly what they regretted most
as they neared the end of their lives.
The highest percentage regretted not living a life that was true to themselves.
Instead, they had lived their lives according to what others had expected of them.
Pow!
That stuck.
I could relate.
I decided that would not be me.
All was good in my life and I was grateful. But, something was missing.
Actually, quite a few somethings were missing.
Nearing the age of retirement compounded this feeling.
I had to do something and I had to do it now.
My time for putting things off was close to an end.
None of us knows if there will be a tomorrow.
None of us.
Really, all we have is today.
This became my call to action.
It was time for change, for dreams, for no regrets.
I talked with my husband and thankfully he was on board.
How lucky I am to have such a good and understanding man.
I submitted the paperwork and several weeks later packed my classroom,
said final goodbyes, and tearfully drove away into a new life.
I pose to you this question dear reader.
If you were truly you,
who would you be,
with no regrets?
I’ve been thinking a lot about that question.
For me, I feel that I have lived numerous lives inside this one lifetime.
And through it all, I have tried to be everything to everyone,
and yes,
I did usually live the life that was expected of me.
For this next chapter I am choosing to truly be me.
No regrets.
Just me.
So who is that? Just me?
I’m currently working on that.
For now, I know I’m a traveler, a dreamer, an artist, a writer,
an adventurer, an entrepreneur and yes, still a teacher.
But, in a different way. A way that fills me up more
and where I get to say how my life goes.
My first adventure will be finding freedom and
building my Wild You! Art business.
I’m traveling for a year throughout
Canada and the United States.
Calista Rose and Phoenix are coming.
So is my papillon Genevieve. And,
if you’re interested, you can come too.
Journey along with me. We’ll go on adventures
in new landscapes, connect with new people,
visit old friends, tap into our creativity,
explore new ways of being,
find inspiration, and push our limits.
We’ll venture outside our comfort zone
and into our true selves.
Won’t you join me?
Please drop me a line
to let me know you’re interested
and in the next few weeks, I’ll share
how you can come along.
-Much Love,
Jillian McGill
jillianmcgillartist@gmail.com
Jillian McGill, Artist 