“You need to have the funk to have the fun.”
— Anthony
Never were truer words written to me via Skype.
Two days ago, I was messaging Anthony, one of the most amazing people I have had the fortune to meet on this Adventure of mine.
We talked about life, I caught him up on what’s going on back in America with my family, I told him I was in a funk and how frustrated I was that said funk was in progress.
It was then he wrote the funk was necessary. “You need to have a balance …” he began, and then he entered the words quoted above.
Instantly, my mood cheered. The gray cloud that had been hanging over me dissolved.
“You need to have the funk …”
For the past month, I have been struggling. It was not an easy time, to say the least. I teetered between tears and smiles as I navigated both an emotionally and physically challenging days.
(NOTE: the actual “Adventures of D” is about six weeks behind today, so you will read all about it … soon)
Every day, I would wake up and a time clock would go off in my head, the alarm saying to me:
“D … what are you doing with your life? You only have two months of traveling left …”
There was a rat race going on in my mind. Suddenly, I was out of the moment. I was into October. Living back in the USA. Trying to figure out where I would live, what I would do, who I would be.
In my waking moments, I was so consumed by these thoughts that I stopped enjoying. I stopped living in the moment and started to get the dreaded TRAVEL FATIGUE.
I tried to avoid it. I took some day trips. I explored. But, I had lost the spring in my step on my way to Month Five.
And it made me angry. Made me want to cry. I felt ridiculously overwhelmed with guilt.
There are a million people who would give anything to be where you are, and now you are pissing it away, D.
I was ashamed.
Here I am, living this amazing adventure and I somehow, somewhere in the past four weeks, stopped appreciating it.
Until now.
It took Anthony to make me feel better about it. Yes, I have Travel Fatigue. But, I don’t need to let thoughts consume me, and then let those bad thoughts about having those thoughts take over my brain and cloud everything. It’s a part of the experience.
So, Funk, Hello. Thanks for hanging out with me on and off for four weeks. It was great. You made me appreciate what I miss the most about traveling — The Fun.
Fun, I’m back.
Here’s to living in the moment in Month Six.
Serefe. Na zdrave.
D Travels 'Round 
So happy you are cheering up!! You deserve an awesome last few months. So glad I was here with you during the transition back to fun!
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ABBY — my love letter to you is soooooooo long. Sorry you had to be around for the funk but glad you were also a part of the fun … especially downpours at castles and border crossings, bus rides and Turkish harassment at its best. Love you to pieces.
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Thanks for your honest depiction of one of the realities of traveling. Coming from my perspective of not traveling yet. It’s very easy to to focus on all the good times, and forget about the not so good times.
“You need to have the funk …” That’s such a great quote. It’s a basic human need to have a range of emotions. People that don’t, generally go crazy.
It’s good to know that when I head off on my adventure and I have to face the inevitable “funk”. There will be some light at the end of the tunnel.
Welcome back to the fun.
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Nick, thank you so much for the note. I wasn’t sure if admitting I was in a funk would be a good thing or a bad thing … but either way, it was my reality. It took me a bit to get out of it, but now that I am, I am back to blissfully happy. There is always light at the end of the tunnel, it is just reminding yourself there is a light that takes a moment. For a month I was struggling with the fact that I was in a “funk” and was so angry I wasn’t clinging to every moment and savoring it. I constantly reminded myself I should be so thankful for the moments I was experiencing, but there was a cloud hanging over me. I am glad it is gone. But I am even more grateful I had the funk in the first place. It puts traveling in perspective and reminds you to take in every single moment. When do you head out, and for how long? Cheers and SAFE, Funk-free travels, friend.
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I think travel fatigue happens to everyone. There is just so much to take in when you are travelling that eventually it all becomes too much. I think the trick is just to take it easy – find a nice place to chill out until you feel like doing stuff again. Glad you are feeling better now.
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Yeah … it sucks going through it but seems like it is par for the course. I got to play tourist today for the first time in ages and LOVED being back in the game! Thanks for the comment. 🙂
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