“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11

This is a verse from the Bible that had repeatedly showed up in front of me in random occurrences in the past few months. It gave me a lump in my throat every time because I have been struggling with what-i-called-30-year-old crisis. As a Christian, this verse reminded me of the hope and joy that can only found in the Lord and no where else.

Since we came back to the Bay Area from the road trip, my number one to-do was to figure out what am I going to do with my life. Growing up in the Asian culture where I was always told what the next step is, this was no easy task for me. I have an interest in physical therapy, so I decided to take a prep class in a community college and shadowed therapists in a Rehab center to explore my interest. I talked to a lot of people in the health field about the career and whether or not I should take this path. I like to make lists, so I wrote down things I like and not like, things I need to do if I want to get into a school. Not to say, there is an inherit big investment of time, money and family in this career change. The paralysis by analysis in me was basically eating me up instead of helping me to make a decision.

Christians usually pray for open doors and I like to pray for shut doors. As much as I had a negative taste about the corporate life, I entertained the thought of going back to work, so I applied and interviewed for a few positions. I got some confidence-crushing rejections and I thought those were shut doors, but no, God kept the doors open. This is when I know I had to make a conscious choice then. After some mind-struggling conversations, we decided that I will go back to work and we will move back to an apartment. We have no idea if this is the “right” choice, no one knows anyways; but we have hope and faith because God is good and He will show us the way.

So here we are, going back to the “real life”, which are the 9-6, limited vacation days, weekend warriors, and all the reasons that I quit for the road trip before. Am I completely okay with going back to all these? If I say yes, that would be lying. 2018 has so far taught me to have an open mind, give everything a try and to have faith. I am indeed quite excited about this new job and instead of focusing on the negatives, I am going to embrace and enjoy everything that comes with going back to work.

It’s crazy to think that we are moving to a living place with doors and windows and walls but no wheels. Haha. It’s been some time since living like normal people. Interestingly, I am more conflicted about living in an apartment than working. We both had become so used to and comfortable with living in our minivan. I love the simplicity of life. I love that we do not have to pay rent. I love to only have to think about one meal at a time. I love to just drive off to a destination without packing anything because I already have everything. I love that this lifestyle forces us to more active than ever before. I love the freedom that comes with van life. Now here comes the “but”, the minivan is simply a bit too small for a long-term living solution. Min really wants a bigger van that we can stand and cook inside and so do I. That would be so nice 🙂 Perhaps we can plan for that in the future. For now, more adventures with the minivan! Talking about adventures, I am very excited for Yosemite this weekend and Havasu Falls next weekend.