People die. And then they are gone. I write this post with a moral sense of urgency to remind you to love your people. Because one day they will be gone from this earth. It will be the quality time you have spent with them that will matter more than all the money in the world.

Last night I decided to do a little bit of clearing. I pulled open draws and found stuff to throw away, tidy, or neaten. I like creating a sense of order, it makes me feel better. As I made my way to the TV cabinet, I was struck dead in my tracks. I found a letter from my Mum. Date unknown she must have written it at some point when I was away travelling and possibly teaching overseas. It was the sweetest letter, complete with stickers at the end.

Reading this letter again brought tears to my eyes. I miss my dear loving affectionate and warm Mum so much.  She was so open and loving and dear to me. I can even hear her in my head talking to me as I read this letter.

The point I am trying to make here, enjoy your loved ones in your life while you have them. We do not get forever. Life is precious and we need to really make the most of our limited time on this earth. For this reason, and mainly this reason alone, I am already planning another big trip.

I have big plans to pack up and go. Again. This time really pack up, like put it all in storage kind of pack up, and just GO. I am heading to the USA this time and there I plan to explore some amazing National Parks like Yosemite and Zion and even Lake Tahoe. I have a few friends I would like to visit in the States and then I plan to head over to Europe. Just because I can and want to really make the most of seeing as many beautiful places on this earth as possible!

In Europe I want to head back up to Finland and Norway to visit friends and maybe back to Iceland. I really want to go back to Croatia and explore more of Italy. I think 6 months should do it. If I can find work to do then I will do my best to earn some money along the way. If any of my blog readers living in Italy or Croatia would like to host me for a few nights I would love to meet you!

I would really love to spend more time writing and taking photos and meeting new people. I will expand my writing platform as much as I can, and aim to get published along the way.

I want to travel and take photos and explore the world and really LIVE. I want to feel alive and like every day is on purpose. I want to feel proud of my life, and I want to feel like I am getting the most out of every day, month and year. Working is good, earning money is good, but we can’t get bogged down by this one simple pursuit.

In the end money does not matter. You can not take it with you. Simply enjoying the life we are blessed with, is what counts. Enjoying the people who are in our lives and treasuring our loved ones is so important. Spend time with them, not money.

Spending time focusing on our personal enjoyment in life is a pursuit I hold dear. Spend time not money.

Anita xx