Lessons From the Chick That Flew Coop

I am thrilled to have my daughter, Princess, guest posting on my blog today. She has written from Koh Samui, Thailand. This letter is a keeper.

Dear Mom, Dad (AKA The Consultant) and Buddy,

Thank you.

Without all of your travel stories, shared experiences and encouragement I would have never been inspired to take this journey. As of April 1, 2014 I have been gone for seven months and I’m terribly homesick – the homesickness kicked in on about month three – but that is beside the point.

You convinced me at a young age, that traveling, in some capacity, should be on every young person’s priority list. Hearing you talk about your adventures always sounded so enticing and glamorous. So, naturally like many other “young adults” I decided there was no other option, there was a World out there waiting to be traveled.

It is law, eventually your kids will grow up and want nothing more than to leave the nest and spread their wings. For many it is easy to take that initial flight, but the moment we face a situation that throws off our flight pattern, all we want to do is be back in our nest where the World doesn’t seem so scary. Some of us will go soaring back at the first sign of danger, while others will never EVER go back, just to prove a point. For me it is somewhere in the middle. Over the past seven months, I’ve had my fair share of scary moments, but I never used my nest as a way to escape – though it was nice to know I always had the option. I did, however, use you, Mom, Dad and Buddy, as an outlet, a way to better understand the scary moments.

For example, when I was lead to believe all of my possessions had been stolen, I dreaded telling you. I thought you may think it happened because I had been irresponsible and get mad or even worse… be disappointed. However, you were the opposite. You said, “In the end, it’s just stuff.” BAM! My fears and worries were subdued. You were right.

At the end of the day it is all about learning and growing from your experiences.

I know it’s hard for some parents to let go, but it’s important. It’s also important for parents to stay calm, be understanding and to believe in everything they have taught their children. This is where you beat the crap out of all my expectations and showed them who was boss. I had numerous moments where I just didn’t know what to do and when no amount of inner soul searching, chats with my friends or “Googling it” could help me, I would come to you. In all honesty, I didn’t want to have to come to you. I wanted to be able to figure things out on my own, to prove that I could handle it and make the right choices, but sometimes I just felt lost. That was an important lesson for me. Sometimes you need your parents and older brother and that’s okay.

Every time I came to you, it became easier and easier because you were so amazing about everything, though I know you were probably sweating bullets on the inside. You being calm and trusting in my abilities gave me the strength to remain a free bird and to learn the lessons that every young adult needs to learn.

Thank you.

Lovelovelove,

Your Princess