Tomorrow morning, I leave for Latin America.

Not for a vacation.
Not to escape.
But to finally live the life I’ve been circling around for years—and to do it on my terms.

I’ve closed chapters that needed to end.
Let go of people who couldn’t grow.
Released the pressure to perform, to be chosen, to be “good enough.”

And now?
For the first time in my adult life…
I don’t belong to anyone but myself.

A Conversation That Anchored Me

Today, my handyman—who has been working alongside me for months as I’ve prepared this transition—said something that landed deeply:

“Just go. Enjoy yourself. Don’t get in a relationship. Don’t look for it. You have an opportunity most people will never have—freedom. Use it.”

He’s right.

I’m not anti-love. I still want to fall in love someday.
But not right now.
Not when the road is calling. Not when I finally have full autonomy over my days, my energy, and my future.

The Truth About Relationships

When you’re in a relationship, even a good one, you consider someone else.
Their opinions. Their preferences. Their comfort zones.

You compromise.
You share decisions.
You blend.

And while that can be beautiful when it’s mutual and healthy…
I’m not ready to blend.
I’m ready to expand.

This Isn’t a Pause From Life. It Is Life.

For years I’ve taken care of others.
Navigated marriages. Raised children.
Made big sacrifices. Smiled through emotional exhaustion.

This next chapter is not a detour.
It’s not the “before the next relationship” filler episode.
It’s the main storyline.

And I don’t want to miss it by looking sideways, wondering if someone else is supposed to be walking beside me.

What I’m Choosing Instead

• I’m choosing mornings where the only opinion that matters is mine.
• I’m choosing slow coffee, long drives, random stops at roadside fruit stands.
• I’m choosing to build a life so rich that when someone eventually comes along, they’ll have to add real value—not just fill a space.
• I’m choosing to be the love of my own life right now.

Final Thoughts

Love may find me.
Maybe in a quiet town square.
Maybe through a conversation in bad Spanish with someone who makes me laugh.
Maybe not for a while.

But I’m not chasing it.
I’m not waiting for it.

Because I already have what I used to beg for:
Freedom. Peace. Direction.

And that’s what I’m driving toward tomorrow.

With the windows down.
The kids and dogs packed.
And no one to answer to but the sound of my own spirit whispering:

“Let’s go.”