Why I left America

Thank you, as always!

As always a pleasure to hear from you Derrick. Press on in your pursuit of knowledge. Blessings Jim Vilandre

I always enJOY reading what you have to say. So, where the hell are ya, now?

Amen, brother. Interestingly, as flow state is often found when you stretch your comfort zone, it is important to always push - especially as we age and that comfort zone shrinks like a balloon losing its air. Flow state is my goal at least once a day. I just wish I could do it more, if it weren’t for the work admin… ;-)

interested in how ‘the rest of the story’ goes as well of course!

Having lived in New Jersey, Michigan, Colorado, three towns in Nigeria over 25 years, two in Egypt over the next 25, and now California (though returning to Egypt for 2 months soon), I find myself in complete agreement.

Great, so where are you now? I seem to remember you moved somewhere, but I cannot remember where?

I love the phrase live somewhere strange until it feels like home There is no substitute for the corporeal aspect of living 'elsewhere.'

Questions, more than comment: Sorry, must have missed something. Where did you end up going? Did you find it an improvement???I have relatives intending to leave and would like feedback. Best of life, wherever you are!

While there are benefits to moving around regularly, there are also clear benefits to becoming "entrenched" in a community, most notably by becoming a leader in local organizations, a subject-matter expert ("go-to person"), and establishing stability for family/children who might otherwise struggle socially with the constant re-shuffling. It's certainly not black and white, but I would perhaps offer that there has to be a highly compelling reason to move vs. moving just for the sake of shaking things up. Dare I say, moving around may benefit you, but does it benefit others?

I am working to feed the hungry worldwide it’s very uncomfortable work because not many really will act on their natural empathy, instead they let sympathy dominate their mind, and move on to a more comfortable thought, than people starving and children crying for their next small meal.

Thanks Derek
At first I was not going to read this because of the war in Ukraine I am feeling very patriotic these days to America and it's freedoms. However I opened your article because I know you always have a different slant on things. I was happy to read your journey and getting outside your comfort zone. How wonderful to be able to do that. I hope you find happiness wherever you go. Always, TINA

Hello Derek,

Very good story but my question is how are you doing today?
We live in a changing world with wars and rumors of War.
I just hope the Russians stop all the unnecessary killings and go back home.
We should be invading Russia as all the troops are in Ukrain….hahahahaha

Take care,
Marty

Funny. That's why after living abroad I returned to America. Day by day, you never wake up in the same country.

Ur cool Derek! I loved life in Malibu and Santa Barbara but am back in Israel. Come visit!

Derek,

I consider you a Musical Philosopher or a Philosophic Musician. Either way ALL your words are like a beautiful melody. You have a gift you are sharing with the world and have lived a magical life.

Helle Derek,

why not Berlin?

Regards

Jim

I'm feeling the need for challenge of late. Good reminder!!

Hey! Just want to thank you -

A True Gift.
-g-

I've resided in a few places globally, even recently. Alas, I agree with Peter, comment #10. Now that I am at home, which I own, I feel rooted in a community. No fiscal woes or unpredictability, perhaps not very adventurous. But I have input and perhaps influence that is null elsewhere. That, too, is growth.

Hi Derek:
I totally understand wanting to experience new horizons to broaden our outlook on life, culture, and not stagnating in our daily mundane routines.
I applaud your courage to explore all these options. I've seen a good portion of the world, and look forward to exploring more once the travel restrictions have been lifted and more freedom to visit other countries is something I'm looking forward to.
Sending much love and peace your way,
Love
Aeoliah

I too feel the same way, I am living in Santa Monica CA, LOVE it, for 27 years now, I do go to New York for 2 months out of the year, BUT the need to grow and be challenged is always there, Thanks for sharing, you helped me, understand by feelings a bit more or my thinking.

Boo Derek! Sounds like Derek's elitist cop out... Want the old 'Exciting New Thought' Derek', from many years ago ... I still resound with those. Hmmm, perhaps don't let the domestic bliss interfere, with your professional flame? [Of course this is from a total hypocrite, but one who looked to you...]

I've been living in the same town now for about 20 years. Still doesn't feel like home. Still don't understand the people here. Or maybe I do. At any rate, maybe time to move on, huh? ;-)

I like reading 'The Hero Within' by Carol Pearson. Herein she describes the archetypes of the journey of one's own stations in life. We may revisit a station more than once in our lives or we may combine a few of them at once.

You constantly amazing me Derek. !

Love it!
No Growth in Comfort ..

This is exactly why I decided to become a musician. Not the only reason, but at the top of the list.

I wanted to understand how people live on the other side of the ocean, planet, mountains, river, etc. To go there and play music with them (an international language). I've been constantly surprised.

I miss it when I can't travel. Looking forward to taking it out on the road again at the first opportunity.

I've lived in a few places globally, as well, and recently decided to leave America again. The tension was too much for an old woman. I wanted my last decades to be more peaceful. The adjustment is not really hard for me as I can always recall how frustrating America is, too. Thanks for sharing your reasons. I agree that if you are not surprised, you are not learning.

It's so important to find ways to grow. It can be different for everyone. We need to challenge ourselves for sure.
Thanks for sharing!

Well said. Having 16 years in recovery, one of the first things I was taught and learned; if it feels uncomfortable, I should probably be doing it. Finding my authentic self, self-acceptance and love for self was the result. Thus needing less externally for validation and acceptance and being able to give and receive love free of expectations. I used to travel a lot, SCUBA diving whenever possible, as part of a fast moving startup now, less so. But I do revel in the comfort of a loving wife and beautiful home. For me life is about contentment, with a focus more on learning than winning.

Thank you Derek, really needed to read this today!

Many years ago I resided in Winnipeg Manitoba. It was a place that, for me, had the rare combination of comfort and adventure. Being in the centre of North America it seemed to be three hours from anywhere and remote to everywhere. I had the pleasure of being introduced to Bob and Molly who had moved there from San Francisco in the late 60’s. They had chosen the destination by taping a map on the wall and throwing a dart, one shot, pack and go. After a few years they were really getting settled in…out came the map. The last I heard from them they were located in Whitehorse, Yukon Territories. That was 50 years ago. They’ve definitely been a strong influence on my adventure.
Thanks Derek, you have as well.

Teach Me Holy Spirit
Chorus:
Teach me Holy Spirit teach me
Something I've never learned before
Teach me Holy Spirit teach me
Teach me just a little bit more
When you wake me up in the morning
Before my feet ever touch the floor
Teach me Holy Spirit teach me
Something I've never learned before
1st
I just want to see it
Just like I've never seen it before
I just want to hear it
Just like I've never heard it before
Now even though I might have seen it
Might have even heard oh Lord
Holy Spirit I want you to teach me
Even if I've seen and heard it before
2nd
As I become familiar
familiar to the things I've learned
I become complacent
To all the things I've seen and heard
So When you wake me up in the morning
I want you teach me more
Holy Spirit I want you to teach me
Like I've never seen and heard it before
3rd
Holy Spirit you are the teacher
The teacher of all things
I Love the way you teach me
I Love the Love and joy you bring
You have a way of teaching
You don't even have to explain
So Holy Spirit I want you to teach me
Through your word I'll never be the same
Hal Gullick c2018

Good for you Derek, go get it!
That "home" feeling is just a feeling, my friend. No more substantial than wondering what to eat for dinner. Release that feeling, and there is nowhere left to "go" in the old sense.

Thanks - a great read!

Hi, Derek,

I taught you were going to talk about war in Ukraine

You said you could be in Brasil. Well if you stop by, we could produce some good Piano Jazz here, in Rio.

I'm reopening "O Jazz & O Samba Jazz Club" in Vidigal, in big style. If you come here you will never get back.

Could send you some photos.

Greetings,

Hugo Braule

Always a good read! You make it hard for me to press that "unsubscribe" button! : )

Hi Derek

Where are you living now? Seriously. Derek you moved again! I thought you said you were staying in New Zealand until your son was 18.
Where are you now? Did your son and girl friend go with you? How did you choose the new location?

Antonia

So there you are again breaking rules & Boundaries!
Like the movie Mad Max, One guy said,"You Know The Rules, There aren't Any"Lol!Not just thinking outside the Box but looking @ The box from another's perspective. I cannot afford to do what you do, but I do it with my songs. There are no limits in songwriting. They do try to put a label on everything. My latest song is:"Last Call For The Human Race" Which we know it's not a Race @ All! God Bless & Keep it going for us creative humans. Aloha, Jose

Thank you brother Derek! Enjoyed the one on text files. I have always kind of thought that...and you moved that thought into the great idea category. Very versatile. converting into another format is always much easier. start from text...its the bext!
Randy

Hi Derek, I'll always remember when I met you in Santa Monica... Moons ago... Adventurous, young, open. You still have all these qualities.

Like you, I need to travel ( not right now )because the timing is just not right, yet ...

But I look forward to adventure in new territories that may become a new home , even just for a while. I yearn for that. The youth, and open-ness is so beautiful. Keep wandering. wanderlust ☺ , Lea

I like #10. That perspective is pretty insightful. I'm curious as to your answer. If I were to answer that question, it would be quite simple. The fact that the person was reading your blog post while you were on the other side of the world is probably the best response. You are still providing a service in the community where you're from, but you're no longer there.

Where are you now? Let's have coffee...I have an idea.

Cheers!

It takes a lot of guts what you're doing, good for you and stay safe Derek and have fun

I have to say the beach sonds good to me in the cold UK. I agree that living in a different culture certainly broadens your horizons and gives you a much wider view of the world. I lived in Japan for 15 years and feel it changed me a lot in a positive way.

Dear Derek,

As the daughter of two diplomats, I spent a good portion of my younger years moving around, learning different customs, cultures, rules and laws. Foremost in my thoughts was to always greet people respectfully, and follow the customs of the people. I loved the people everywhere we went, but was amazed how they were always so much warmer than Americans. I treasured my years in Cairo as those were so formative!

Thank you,
Mélanie 🎸🎤🎶🎧

Beautiful.

Good thoughts, thanks. It does get tricky when your kids get to school, unless you are home-schooling. And for a kid, it's hard to beat growing up with family and family friends nearby who are regular, positive influences. That's why I moved from NY to Portland (OR) to be near my in-laws (and why I don't live in London or S. of France today ☺ Will be interested to hear how you are approaching that.
Thanks, as always.

I have lived and worked on 5 continents. Wouldn't trade what I learned for anything. But there is a flip side, and Wendell Barry said it best when he remarked that most of what is wrong with America [the US] is that we move too much. "Stop somewhere," he recommended, "it doesn't have to be where you were born or raised." He advised that we become stewards, protectors of the land. He noted that humans do and build all sorts of foolish things on land because in our dominant culture we don't have sufficient memory of where the highest floodwaters reach, how cold or hot it gets in the extremes, what indigenous plants belong here and how they benefit humans.

I've observed people move into a new house or lot in our neighborhood and immediately cut down all the deciduous oak trees, not knowing that in summer's heat they will sorely miss the shade the trees would offer (while never having to water them) and the entertainment of squirrels and birds that live among them. Repeat this annually, and other species suffer loss too as a result, and eventually a neighborhood becomes devoid of wildlife, the water table lowers, costs go up and quality of life goes down.

At some point our lives should also be about deeper levels of service and not simply what we can expect to personally gain in the short term.

Travel, and especially immersion living in a different culture, is indeed rich with stimulation and information about the breadth of the natural world and human thought and expression. I love learning how different cultures think, celebrate, and create. Yet a couple of years in a place only begins to scratch the surface of what there is to comprehend.

There is another kind of knowing that comes from staying in one place for decades, and it has a depth that a traveler can never touch. The gratification of being in service to the land and community is not something a temporary visitor will experience. The accumulation of trusting relationships with people and with nature over decades is something I cherish more deeply than my memories of exotic places.

I also have concerns about those of us who come from such a dominant culture, feeling entitled to impose our culture wherever we move, rather than humbly blending in. White people get called ex-pats, and brown people get called immigrants. Colonization, gentrification are on a spectrum.

Not everyone needs to stay in one place, but we need a critical mass that do. We also need thoughtful travelers, who bring stories that connect us with people and events around the world.

I agree adventure is truly the elixir of life... I'm ready... When I was young I hitchhiked across the US country 7 times, once across Canada, and once to the Arctic circle. Now I have been researching other countries to live in. So we will see...

How long do you like to stay in a place until you move?

Thank you for the thought-provoking essay, Derek, and thanks to all who commented. I truly appreciated each and ever comment I read--major key, minor key, key change...all of it. Five years ago, I moved from a large urban/suburban place where I was a born-and-raised long-timer, to a small maritime/rural place where I was a newcomer. In this new place, there is a strict hierarchy that transcends systems of race, class, and income. Those who were born here are considered significantly superior to those who have moved here recently. My ego has taken a battering, but I understand why: this little place has a wonderful heritage that is eroding because of residential growth. To make peace with my surroundings, I have devoted energy to conservation and preservation, aligning myself with the interests of the "natives" even though they for the most part perceive people like me as interlopers. Sometimes the experience (and my pride) makes me long for "home," but where is home? My original life-forming urban/suburban place bears little resemblance to the location of my childhood. You can't go home again. And then I remember: My ultimate home is Heaven, and I am called to do nothing more or less than build up the Kingdom here on this earth through love and service.

The best kind of outlier!

Ok clever man.. I'm betting u deliberately didn't tell us where u r now for a reason. That aside, i think those who live in other cultures and countries tend to gain larger and more useful and often times, compassionate, insights into the human experiment than those of us who dont.

You, my good man, are the living embodiment to the lyrics of RIPPLE by Garcia/Hunter. You rock Derek.
www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=lyrics+to+ripple

Where many underscore routine, you suggest this should be avoided. Does this hold true for your exercise regiment? I find when clients fall off routine, results fall in parallel.

Thanks for sharing x

Yes. Yet one could also speak to having the joy place as noted in 10 and 20 by Peter and Jon. There is something beautiful staying put, which I've not fully enjoyed as an adult. Now in Mexico after Australia for some time after NYC and surprised most days and learning every day. I left for the change of perspective and now enjoying the stability and attitude I find in my new home. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, as always.

I did this for a few years after college, and sometimes regret coming back. I think I would have followed a more adventurous path it I had stayed, although my current role in life is also quite different from most. Some commenters have mentioned that this won't work for kids because they need stability and community. There are, however, a small number of families (worldschoolers) who do lead a nomadic lifestyle and claim that it works out very well for their kids. In our family, we try to inject a little bit of this adventurousness into our kids' lives by spending a couple months abroad every year or two, and it's something we all look forward to.

Always a great time when you post new article Derek. I totally agree with you on the thing that we miss the Aha moments when we are comfortably living. I was always striving for that comfort, but now enjoy those weird moments of learning and different stances more and more.

Is there anywhere I can go to hear some stories of what you experienced living in these different places?

good stuff... it's good to move around, it's good for artist, but it's good for 'normal people' too xxx
i moved out of the usa 16 years ago.. no regrets, but for all the wrong reasons.

Hi Derek!

It feels like a deja-vu, your storytelling.
I regret not having had the opportunity to buy you a coffee when you lived here (Portugal).
As Marty refers above, the world is upside down. The contrasts and depression to go back 80 years in time is terrifying.

Good to read your refreshing ideas, and knowledge with US.

Cheers.

Nuno

As so many have said: this is inspiring and great reminder as a new chapter in life approaches, weather by choice or not, openness is a key to keep learning and growing. Thank you for this Derek. Always enjoy your work. Thank you for sharing our insights.

Thanks for sharing! Do you take your loved ones' happiness and feelings into consideration when deciding to make these moves? Many times I think about making changes like moving, quitting my job, going on a silent retreat, etc, but my family's happiness (whatever that means) is more important for me.

Thanks Derek! Just did the same thing for the same reason(s). Big hugs from Spain!

Yes Sir, Get out of that comfort zone.

Thanks, Derek

Come to Quebec next winter so my wife and I can take you skiing at the mountain here at Bromont :)

All you need is Tenacity and a Ton of Money! I'd rather have a Home Base and see the world separately and leisurely! I can also see the world touring with the Band! Your thoughts?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=yDW1xOFbjeQ
http://KingsXecutioner.com
facebook.com/KingsXecutioner-102985178278216

You have articulated exactly how I feel but have struggled to put words to. I returned to living in the US (Austin) after years away in Cambodia, Thailand, Panama and Mexico. I just don't feel alive. Most don't get it. Thanks for this article.

This arrived in my inbox today, and is timely in that I've been thinking about what life is like, living in other countries. Thanks for the insight!

Ed B.

Reading this inspired me to curl up under my warm fuzzy blanket on my couch LoL! Fear not I have recently pivoted my entire career at 53 and I step out of my comfort zone nearly every day. Growth is Good! Thank you for sharing!!!

Won't home always feel like the place you've spent the longest in your life? So you'll always be chasing the "home feeling" and won't find it until you settle into a place for the longest period of time.

Love the movie big fish! One of my favorites.
Also, come visit Israel. I think you have a lot of fans here... ❤
Your unique, calm, take on life is always refreshing. Thank you for being you!

Thank you for sharing, Derek! Lived in many places and I continue to look for that perfect place. Currently living on a mountain and definitely out of my comfort zone. It's good to stretch your body and mind. I'm enjoying the stretch! Best to you, wherever you are!

Very interesting article Derek. Enjoy all your adventures and we wish you happiness in everything you do and wherever you go. All the best to you Derek.

Come to São Paulo - Brazil, my friend... I would guess it must be the least confortable places to live in this world...

I can confirm this is true as I personally went from the suburbs of the Midwest to downtown in SE Asia. It can even be as simple as leaving your hometown to do the trick. Great article as I can see everyone is reminiscing about their time away from "home."

This is a timely and relevant post. I’m moving to Australia in the next few months, having lived my 36 years in London. Everything here is fine, comfortable and safe, but I just deep down know I need and want to move. To be surprised, to discover and to learn. This was a beautiful post to share and hear your thoughts. I’m a little scared (the unknown / unexpected) but this has just made me even more sure and excited. Big love to you Derek.

So where are you now wise sage and mentor?
Where to go next? Please do tell... ☺

"Oh the places you'll go" (Dr. Suss).
One of my favorite books of all time...
"Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go." (Dr. Seuss)

(http://denuccio.net/ohplaces.html)

Like your idea of permanently growing, permanently adapting to new circumstances

Sounds super exciting!

Lived in 4 countries and it’s amazing what you experience by lifting and dropping your life in new environments. It’s sounds unnerving to unshackle from what you are used to and from familiar surroundings, but it’s also very liberating to hit the refresh button.

Wherever you go, I hope you just take it all in. The beauty, the good, the bad, and the ugly. It will forever change your perspective as you trek forward!

Cheers.

Thank you for letting me read this while I am stucked at home during this drama period (covid 19). This reminds me of the beautiful days of travelling around in the past. Thank you!

I just left America too. I want more moments in flow - at work, and in play. So I moved to Baja - so I can kite and work from the beach and inspire people to unhustle. I'd love to have you on the Unhustle podcast if you live in a place with decent connection of course. You can reach me at milena@unhustle.com.

Felt like reading a poem! Love it.

Having moved all over the world for over 20 years, I am content to stay in one place now more than ever. Sure, I miss the adventure, but I don't miss the constant having to learn new way of doing things and basically being a stranger all the time. it's good to be home now.

Love your mind Derek, CA has lost another good one. Hope to cross your path someday. Fare ye well.

Excellent, timely and inspirational. Thank you, Derek.

I moved across the street, then a different city in the same state. Never had the ambition to move, especially somewhere Ididnt know the culture. But luckily I have you Mr. Severs. I have been able to learn and live a good life by following you.

That's pretty much how I thought and traveled also, but mostly by sail boats.
How ever I've found that Florida pretty much provides me with the climate and closer places to race sail boats to and enjoy life.

I left the US age of 22 lived/worked in Africa, Asia, last 2 years in Europe before coming back, married, in 2000 and experienced feeling like a foreigner, to reconnect with America. +20 years later I struggle more than ever to connect and understand people here. I miss my 20s overseas when people expected me “comme étranger” to be different. I never dreamed how hard it would be to fit in like a native.

Love your perspective as always Derek. Its what made me leave as well. Very hard to come back.

Love the way you think.
Love the words you write.
Thank you.

Hey Derek, thanks for this. I’ve never really voiced out loud why I left when I was 19 but … it was basically for the same reasons. I now have dual nationality and actually in many ways feel more European than American.

Thanks for this Derek. Great work.
I agree about constantly learning and growing.
I've been doing something similar and it's the best thing I've done.
From starting a business, to recording videos to camera for social media, to stand up comedy to now building an Academy. It's been a fascinating journey and I love what I do.

I was curious why you left. I’m thankful I know now and have a lesson to learn from myself!

Where did you move? Where are you now?

So where are you living now?

Your Perspective. Always changing. Adds new color where color fades. Your gifts are all of your expectations not made rather experienced. I truly applaud your honesty where so much of the world is masked. Many ways to live as you noted in your last book. This is yours. Good or bad. Yours. And that is enough. Best - chris

Always interesting to read your views. This, again, didn't disappoint. Fresh and original.
It's a good thing that you began early in life, if I could say so, this experiment of experiencing the challenges of a new environment until you begin to take them for granted on account of their familiarity. Then the hunger to move kicks in.
Nigeria had been mentioned here so, it figures that you may yet wish to live among us to feel our own kind of normal which, I assure you, Derek, will be like nothing you'd ever seen.
Therein lies the thrill of your experiment. Don't stop. Great stuff will issue from it to the benefit of your readers.

And I left my native country to move to the USA when I was 18 for college. Stayed a few years for work experience, and I’m really glad I did. I’ve been back in home country in Central America for 10 years now living in a small village, and there are times I feel like I am missing out, especially with a new business I can’t leave behind just yet. Ahh the American comforts. I miss it sometimes.

I’m getting my surprise moments from reading though. Diving into Russian literature as I feel a need to understand more of history and people in this time of war.

So to those who can’t afford these moves yet. Reading works for now :)

Whenever you make it around to Nigeria, do let me know.

There are loads of wonders you will like to see

I’ve done it and the excitement and wonderment of the initial years after change is priceless.

Hi Derek

This is something I have done once in my life I moved from the UK to the US at 44 and found a hugely profound experience and a chance to reinvent myself and I have never looked back - would love to do it again...

Bravo! I have always followed your approach, once I start to get comfortable,I feel the dendrite production slow down, time to move. I have lived and worked in Boston, Philly, Chicago, Eugene and now Dallas. Always craving growth!... not comfort. Take Care Derek, keep growing... life is to short to not.

Hey Derek,
I know what you’re telling me, but only the one making that change is probably in a position to actually understand it, make that proactive decision to stagnate no more.

I’ve always wondered about the (supposedly)happiest country, Bhutan. And maybe even the unhappiest, take your pic from that list. If there is a happy medium where one is happy enough able to make that change and uncomfortable enough to make it happen we might just wind up where we started. Knowing this possibility, I don’t know if the place makes a difference so as to not grow.

Yes I've never regretted going on an adventure into an unknown land- even the ones that weren't very fun or enjoyable...

An awesome read Derek! I have a 25yo niece who wants to try and live in a perennial winter. She loves winter and alternates countries to suit her desired season. She's a talented muso' and creative, and I believe such creatives are wired differently to most. I love and respect how she thinks. It really gets back to your message: "if we’re not surprised, we’re not really learning." Cheers mate!

This made me think about something that I have never really thought about before--that each place has a different philosophy. That's pretty powerful. I'd never really considered that before and it will influence me the next time I think about going somewhere. Loved this post!
Thank you!

I’m with the guy who left comment number 38. “ I think one of the big problems of the modern world is that we are so mobile unnecessarily.” I would add only: wherever you go, there you are.

I had an apartment in at 2nd and Idaho in Santa Monica from 5/1/94 - 12/17/21. I moved to Bend, Oregon, but that first line really resonated with me. Thank you for sharing.

People say you have to get out of your comfort zone to grow but I wonder… is that true?

What if your comfort zone is not fixed?
What if it’s organically changing? expanding/contracting? growing?

What if growth is not always expansion?

-

I don’t try to go out of my comfort zone.
Not because I don’t want to see what I haven’t seen before or experience what I haven’t experienced before.
I love to live with a wide-open curiosity, learn new things, and dive into a new world but that is organically happening.
I don’t feel I need to force myself or be forced.
Something pulls me, drives me, stretches me from the inside.

I’ve been always feeling that I do challenge myself or do something new or go somewhere different when my comfort zone has already become a little bigger than before and I can go a little further .. my comfort zone expanded already.

Growth is all about becoming bigger? becoming familiar with more things, places? becoming more?
To me, growth is more like something cyclical like seasons or form/phase changes like a butterfly or a tree.

It’s just how I see it (for now).🙂

For all the folks wondering where Derek is now, just click the link at the top of this page and read it in his home page...

I appreciate that perspective. Thanks for sharing with us. . I can relate. Lots of travel I've experienced in many different styles and perspectives. My current foreign frontier is in the center of the meditational heart.

I am doing exactly this starting August!

I think this is awesome! "Move to a place that feels strange, until it feels like home." I find that very inspiring. Derek, Thank you for sharing!

Thanks big bro! Always motivating and educating!

There are lots of things to admire when it concerns Derek: is it his prose-poetic style, or his honesty; is it his never-ending curiosity or constant search for something that will change his views; is it his personal relationship with viewers or the originality of his ideas, such a walking web of ideas, such a human library, is a panacea for the oft-mentioned what-I-should-know—I love him!

For those wondering where he is now, he does have a Now page: sive.rs/now

Thank you for sharing. It is amazing how experience and culture can change our outlook on things. Living in New York made me see the world from a new perspective. I have so many questions for ya.

Happy Adventures!

Andrea

Great read as always!! Travel keeps the mind curious

Thank you for not badmouthing America in your post like most people would....

Thank you for the inspiration and perspective. I was thinking about trying a new place, but by boat. Have you heard of the Great Loop?

www.google.com/amp/s/api.nationalgeographic.com/distribution/public/amp/travel/article/great-loop-is-the-epic-us-adventure-you-have-never-heard-of

That's exactly what I felt like when I was in my mid twenties. So I decided to leave what had been my home for most of my live then, and I moved to Boston to go to music school and find out what the world had to offer. This then lead me to the west coast, to Los Angeles. And that led me back to Europe. And years after I had started my adventure I ended up where I had started. And it all looked different. And now I feel inspired to start another adventure. Who knows, maybe on the way we'll meet somewhere, sometime. Wishing you good travels. Thanks for sharing.

I feel exactly the same way that's why I left China, UK, then the east coast of America, now deeply satisfied with sunny California next to the beach. But who knows maybe soon will be back on adventures to Africa or middle east or south America. Even the best places feel like a plateau at some point.

Great post, Derek. Three years ago my wife and I made the decision to pack our three kids up and head to Europe for a year. We didn't know where we would go after 2 months and ended up covering 20 countries - all while working and teaching the kids. It was the worst financial decision of my life, but the best decision for our lives. Good luck to you!

Life is too precious to waste. Continue on your journey and enjoy every moment of your life.

Thank you for this post. It have me great deal of perspective and clarity within myself.

'Big Fish' reminds me of how individual perception is. The pictures formed in our imagination from stories, statements is so individual yet society sets expected constructs of how things should be perceived. Amazing really.

Where you have lived and where do you want to live next?

Well. I first met you in Portland. And, like you, I left. Now I live in San Miguel de Allende Mexico. Like you, I am always thinking ... what's next?

I've even gotten some of my ad industry friends to move here; peterlevitan.com/moving-to-mexico-8342/

The bottom line... some people want to dig into new sometimes uncomfortable experiences. It is either a passion or a groovy and fantastico disease. I will go with groovy. Though, it does drive my wife a bit crazy.

Morning Derek,
Just saw this after getting off the plane!
Thanks for keeping me in the loop.. It’s been
a long long time and you are still maintaining
your fan base, amazing! Trying to think when
you started CD Baby?

Being born on a DC3, 84 years ago, I’ve always
have had that philosophy, and still do.
Not many of us have the opportunity to follow
our dreams, keep it up! Meet you on Mars.

Deeply resonates, and absolutely love the analogy of "Big Fish" - your growth is defined by the size of your fishbowl. Growing up in a comfortable setting, I actively had to seek out challenges and hardship by thrusting myself into new environments, and it pays off in droves.

Hello everyone, I have a thought-out philosophy :

One of my values is growth, another value is belonging, which includes feeling "home." On my old blog of 500 posts 75 included the tag (descriptor) "belonging." So I too would stay in a place until I felt I blended in and adopted the local culture. It's OK to be bi-cultural, just as it's OK to be bi-lingual. No, I don't feel I have to "choose."

I do this for any new town, city or campus, putting the responsibility on myself to do what ever it takes to feel a sense of local spirit. (Sometimes I may start with culture shock and resentment) School spirit, regimental spirit, national spirit—these things have to be caught, learned over time, and can't be instantly taught. It helps to join something, and then do my part.

To me, belonging and membership involves accepting responsibility for whatever I belong to, such as acting as a good citizen. At the national level, I am not surprised that people in the comments are mentioning Ukraine. (I for one intend to accept having higher oil prices as part of helping Ukraine) At my local level, citizenship includes being informed, volunteering and picking up litter: Something Derek and I both do in parks.

Just like Derek giving us his blog, I try to be host not guest, of service not a passive log, crew not passenger. As people I admire all know: It is better to give than to receive.

Thanks Derek - motivational to me - on how to keep up curiosity and not to stagnate. Thanks for writing this and since the last tech post - I started learning coding beginning in HTML for fun! I wanted to learn a language… but was unsure which - instead coding (as a language) it will be it! Your emails make a difference. Thanks.

Always a pleasure to hear from you.

I have come to understand that wherever I have lived, the energy of the land provides an opportunity to learn an aspect of myself that could not have been discovered anywhere else.

"The Law of the Land" is also another way for me to understand a culture's value system. Without contrast, I could only relate to the set of values I called home not even realizing certain values were missing that now I could not live without.

All Good Things

As another American living overseas - great sharing, Derek. While I have lived in your former home of Singapore for some 15 years now, I believe that regular travel to other places and working with those who hail from other lands also helps to keep you from stagnating. (This has been my frustration throughout most of 2020/2021 where we were stuck in place by covid).

So why not Nigeria

“But that is another story and shall be told another time.”
― Michael Ende , The Neverending Story

At least, we hope it will.

(By the time I get to the end of the comments on your post, I've read so many interesting takes that I've forgotten what I've come down here to post and have open it again in another tab.)

I find your observations especially true of learning other languages while living somewhere new. So many values, attitudes and subtle or fundamental shifts in perspective come from forcing yourself to think in a different language.

As others have pointed out, there can also be personal and social costs to always moving. I've left some dear friends and mentors behind, as well as beautiful communities. Family ties grew weaker over distance. It's a choice that every person gets to make for themselves (hopefully). In my case, I left because it was what I was most afraid of doing. I'm still not sure decades later whether that was a healthy reason, but it has certainly been interesting.

Oh wow, that sounds exciting. Happy adventures, Derek!

Beautiful sentiments that really resonate with me, thank you Derek!

Come to Marseille !

I couldn't agree more, Derek.
Not unlike you, I sold and gave away all my possessions 12 years ago to see what would bubble up from the 'nothing' of an ever-changing environment. What a pleasant surprise it was!
I've very much appreciated what you've had to say. Always with directness and economy of words.

Thanks for all the email exchanges as I have traveled the world past 3 years. It’s so weird being back in the states as I launch our latest venture in the NFT space. I can’t wait to explore the Middle East in a few more weeks.

Thanks for inspiring and being a brilliant free thinker. Gordon

Ps Everyone should read his new books.

No surprise here, Derek. Best wishes for continued learning.

Try life from inside a public school classroom, as a teacher, a servant to the future. The country does not matter. Spiritual evolution does.

GREAT STORY NEARING 65 NEXT MONTH I'M AS COMFORTABLE as I want to be at a level that I can afford but now working on great music and sTILL MARRIED TO CD BABY!!!

Thanks Derek! Interesting perspective and made me realize that I should be braver facing uncertainty and seek growth from it, rather than content being comfortable and stagnate.

Curiosity placed you ahead of the times and the information you shared is a reminder of how we can adjust to new environments; not to mention all of the new things you have learned. At the rate that things are going here,there will be an exodus from America in the very near future.Do you have any recommendations for relocation?

"Now, how that’s gone since I’ve left is a different story."

Would love to hear this different story :)

❤️ *LOVELOVELOVE* ❤

I fully agree and congratulate your courage!
I have been wanting to relocate for quite sometime (from US to Europe), but I let the problems of this world (Covid, wars, economic crisis ) delay my plans, for years. Not sure, when I will have the guts to do it !

I did the same thing about ten years ago when I left Berlin, the safest, most interesting, comfortable and supportive place I'd ever lived for that long (three years).

Since then I lived in Nashville for a year (not for me) and now I've been in Detroit for the past eight years. I'm still learning so much without getting too comfortable.

As much as I would love to keep moving every few years I find there is another kind of challenge that only comes from staying in one place for a long time, committing myself to it and finding community in physical space where I can contribute and participate meaningfully.

In other words, I'm getting the most out of the experience when I realize that it's not all about me and what I can get out of the experience. It's much more about what I can give.

Despite having lived nearby Santa Monica at Venice Beach, around the same time as Derek was there, for over 25 percent of my life by the time I finally left America, I can state that I had quite a different experience from the perfect one that Derek had. It was really cRaZy in Venice Beach! And it has only gotten even worse over the years since I left, over 11 years ago by now.

I left for the opposite reason as Derek's: I was never quite at home there, and was trying to find someplace in the world where I DID feel more at home. Now, having traveled to most every country in the SE and South Asian continents, as well as a few in Europe, I still can't say that I've found the perfect place for me -- yet. Part of this was due to worldwide events the past few years.

However, this post reminds me also of all the positives that I've gained from my traveling. And that, it is possible my find own personal perfect place too like Derek has... I just need to keep trying! I know it's "out there" somewhere, as well as "inside myself"! BTW, I know the difference and how they effect one another. ;)

I share some of your inclinations, yearnings and affections. And yet...

A dear friend of mine has pointed in an interesting direction lately, out beyond growth .. or maybe it transcends and includes growth (and no growth, or maybe it's more like "arising and falling away"; hard to say). It more than piqued my interest.

I am one of those who support your journey. You are such a great influencer to the world. Hope I can follow your lifestyle.

Thank you for sharing your perspective and sense of adventure with us Derek. For some of us, it is harder to pick up and move, but I think the idea of getting out of one's comfort level is a good thing. No matter how you do it. For better or worse, I have always put myself in new situations that required that I adapt, learn, and grow on the spot. There is something exhilarating about stretching oneself, even if it does feel scary at first. Life is change and change is growth, and so even if we don't like change, we are going to meet up with it, one way or another.

Hello!
Thank you for send! Please be careful with your adventures. Can't blame you, plus you can always go back. However, with what is happening politically, traveling like this now , at some point may be unachievable. This situation with fuel is completely untenable after awhile...

Pleasure as always to hear from you DS. Where in the world are you now?

I'm simply impressed you have this many comments on a blog post.

What year is it?

“If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine, it’s lethal” ~ Paul Coelho

Keep moving, keep learning my friend. Tell the story along the way.

I went from Georgia to New Mexico, and found stretching my comfort zone on that small scale was amazing. When my kids are a little older, I’d definitely love to live new places and travel more. Learning different ways of being across different cultures (especially internationally) definitely makes life rich. <3

You surprised me there Derek.....i thought you were going to mention 'PUSH' FACTORS ! Like the state of the American Dream ! Excuse my language i'm too fucked in Britain to live here or move abroad ! But i wouldn't abandon it now well there's been so much fighting and martyrdom over 'Victoryville'. I notice you didn't mention where you felt most happy or contented or at peace after leaving Santa Monica.....as you might have gathered i'm not happy with the outcome in Britain or many other places for that matter. Staying here may not be an opportunity to grow ....but it does require strength of character !

best wishes to you
si

DEREK!!! TAKE ME WITH YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LIVED AND WORKED IN AUSTRALIA FOR FOUR WONDERFUL YEARS. Had to come back to America to make care of my aging Mom and my grandmother. Now I'm caring for my daughter who's surviving cancer. Her last Chemo is tomorrow morning. I'm so happy that you are following your 'DESIRES'! HAPPY SURPRISES TO YOU!

This must be a part 1 of 2. I hope so ☺

If you swing through Bali Indonesia, It'd be a pleasure to buy you a beer and hear about your travels thus far.

All the best.

Thank you for sharing this perspective! I just wanted to ask why consider the illegally occupied country of Israel with countless war crimes, civil/human right abuses etc when you have so many other options?

Hi Derrick, you are always very concise in your language so I’m sure you intentionally did not tell us where you moved. I kind of wish you moved to Santa Fe New Mexico. But I am curious where you ended up?
Nial in Santa Fe

Hi Derek... I've always suspected you had the let's see how green the grass is over there genome. I get that! In 1976, 23 years old, in rather desperate need of a different perspective, I moved from Northern California to Alberta, Canada--in part because I had never heard of it. The other part was the handsome cowboy from Alberta, whom I had known only two weeks, who had offered me a job on a ranch just over the Montana border. I was intrigued. I said yes. Three days later I was on my way. I've never regretted it.

As to fitting in to new places: Three years later, I was living in a house on a section of land—that's 640 acres—ten miles northwest of Calgary in an area known as Symon’s Valley, with my partner Luke. Our neighbor ranchers referred to the house as the “old Renard Place.” We lived there for seven years. Our first son was born in that house. We made many deep and meaningful friendships. But finally, tiring of the very ridiculously long Alberta winters, and wanting to be near family again, we moved to California’s central coast.

A year later, I received a letter from our friend who had moved into our prairie abode after us. He told me all the neighbors now called it “Luke and Maggie’s old place”.

It's true that we don't "grow" intellectually and mature, unless we step out (and stay out) of the comfort zone.

Some people can handle this; others can't.

What were your key learnings, or the benefits of leaving your comfort zone, if I might ask?

Yes!

I love the idea of an adventure like you describe, but I also love the idea of nesting somewhere close to my most dear friends and family. My touring gigs help me walk that line but touring can never make a place feel like “home”.

I'm so mad at myself for not exploring the world more when I was younger. I'm now 43 and married with 4 kids. I've never left North America and we certainly aren't uprooting the kids at such young ages. Oh well, someday.

thank you Sivers, you are so an inspiration

Lived my entire life in the US, my only home until three months ago. I travelled around the world in 1994-1995 and hardly met any Americans. A whole year! If you can't move to a new country due to finances, fear, family, etc., TRAVEL! Now that many countries are opening up this is possible. Live life while you can.

Derek, you're truly a unique and extraordinary person, wildly successful, but humble beyond measure. I just finished one of your books, which I'll be writing to you about (at your invitation). Page after page is filled with such simple yet profound jewels that always leave a smile on my face.

My own journeys are of a different sort in that I'm doggedly challenged, decade after decade, with a serious blood clotting disorder that often leaves me stranded on new and disorienting shores, never of my choosing.

But now that I am older, I'm writing the best songs of my checkered career (this batch after a fifteen year hiatus, during which I painted). Can't say I've ever felt comfortable in this life, in any sense of the word, like ever, but you are wise to know that a challenged reality is the stuff of creation.

Not everyone has the resources to move to exotic and faraway lands, but there are other ways to change our lives, like if you live in a city, go live alone in the country...in a locale that is far north. Or vice versa. Make the leap to work from home for good, and see what happens.

I'll write to you about your book soon and how that alone opened up a new vista.

Blessings to you, dearest Derek. We all LOVE you, and I mean it.

Dear Derek
Your blog makes really sense to me. As I'm leaving in switzerland and this is for sure not a bad place to leave. Sinse a young boy I have always traveld a lot but never been offically outside the country. Especially when the family grows moving around becomes very difficult as priority in life are changing.
But I just realized how much your blog resonates with me and I think I need to reinvent myself again in a couple years when my children are looking after themselves. As always thank you for showing us a different perspective.

wherever one goes…there they are.

Hi Derek! I've been wandering here and there since I was 11. I basically live in the country of my life, which seems to keep changing even when I'm standing still. At near 81, living in Hamburg, a drive to the Baltic or Berlin or Amsterdam is voyage enough. I may venture off to the USA in the fall, but a lot depends on The Bug circulating at that time.

Glad to read that you seem to be living your dream. YAY! Charge on.

jpt

Thank you Derek, keep learning new things and keep posting stories,

Interesting article Derek. I read the message. And understand it as a personal statement. I know many people who are content with a fixed and stable existence working with care to own their home and guide their children to the ways of a secure future. And for sure there are many who believe the nomadic life style is one of freedom, only to find themselves trapped in a constant toil to survive. Constant moving from city to city or country to country is not easy and takes commitment. If one has a family there is also need for unified agreement. A partner may have a secure job, a parent to care for or be content with their lifestyle. My observation is, humans do not always have to seek new horizons to prosper and stay mentally agile. Ian

Why did you love to NZ which is culturally very similar to the US? India or Japan would really different? I have my own reasons why I wouldn’t do that but I’m curious about yours :)

I’m wondering when you have this need and your family (wife, kids) are not in the same pace. Was it easy to convince your family to leave? Were you afraid of no? How would you manage a “no”?
Cheers!

Holy f...Thank you for publishing this. I think I will put this entire article on my wall. Because I sometimes forget who I am and try to be who I'm not. And then wonder why I'm not happy.

Great thoughts as usual!

I'm in Istanbul now, just for five weeks but already I have come to expand my mind a little. Spent 4 hours or so speaking to a muslim woman at a mosque, she was a mosque-guide and very knowledgable about the Quran and a lot of other things.

I was surprised a muslim woman could almost even talk to a white guy like me.

I came to learn that Islam if full of love, and the way it is usually portrayed in western media is false. She gave me a very different picture of muslim women at least. ISIS etc are not true representatives of Islam, perhaps there is some kind of conspiracy making Muslims look bad, and that Isis and Al Qaida has been infiltrated by.. basically evil forces. I don't doubt that, no killing is allowed according to Quran, and the west is definitely also infiltrated by evil forces if you catch my drift. The west isn't innocent when it comes to the Ukraine-crisis, we may even say the west caused Russia to invade by not being more careful with Nato-expansion. Plus who knows, maybe there is another conspiracy when it comes to that conflict, one thing is for sure some people are getting filthy rich because of this war. And it will last for a while (who will load up on weapons the coming years? Most countries).

I mean just like in the rest of the world we're definitely formed into the ones we are, whether we like it or not, from outside forces, and if there is a God then there could also be a devil who tries to influence bad behaviour.

Bottom line is we're manipulated to be against eachother, to be fearful and believe in false truths that diminish our freedom, we're gaslighted etc. All this can be alleviated with an open mind through travel and speaking openly with people in other cultures. There will be differences and disagreements sure but more understanding afterwards.

A bit meandering here, but you say you read every post and I hope you agree to some of this.

I remind my most honorable composer Gustav Mahler on these lines. You are a real bohemian. The world is the home, the home is the world.

Is this anti-fragile living ala Nasiim Taleb?

Most people (me included) spend a great deal of time, thought and money into making our environment as comfortable as possible, however that may be defined.

I find it somewhat of an anathema to seek out and go through the discomfort only to move again once you've become settled.

It's a good post Derek, reminds me of the times I've pushed my boundaries and how they are always exponential learning opportunities. My now wife and I (then girlfriend) bought a three month flight to the US once and then filled in the blanks afterwards, the best thing I ever did (other than meeting her).

Amazing! I just left Brazil for the same reasons. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for this, Shiva. And thank you Derek.

As ever, super thought-provoking piece!

Hi Derek! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on home! For me, home is where the heart is. And when the heart is weary, I go on holiday!

I have been living uncomfortably for almost 30 years and it has never been my choice. I guess when you have to push the boundaries because you have to, it is not quite as easy or related to growth. I can sympathize with you as well, Derek. I hope there will be times I am so peaceful that I will want to leave my comfort zone, which I am not even sure what is. Well, I really don't know clouds... at all.

I have similar beliefs and loved how you packaged your words with simplicity and power. Have you heard about the research around the AWE phenomena....? I am assuming so since you mention the WOW and aha. I am forwarding this to friends and considering what my next disruption is and how to "move through disruption." Belief and mindset is part of that "moving with or through". Thanks Derek.

I could not agree more. I'm at the point that when I go back to visit the US I feel surprised that I am learning something new.

Always enjoy hearing from you, some of us may be living vicariously thru your experiences so please keep sharing them. Not all of us may be able or willing to learn as you do, I appreciate how free you are and the fact that you do not take it for granted.
Peace and safe travels :)

There’s a Dutch saying: “Wie durft te verdwalen, vindt nieuwe wegen”.
Translates to: “He who dares to get lost, finds new roads/ways”.

This article reminded me of that.

Kind regards,
D

Derek, your thoughts on the subject were interesting but don’t align with mine. The reason why I left the USA is because America is NO LONGER the country where I grew up. It is a sick, twisted, psychotic, dysfunctional environment where it is actually TOXIC to live there.

When I was a child, my parents used to argue to their friends all the time be it politics, government, schools, religion, etc. BUT THEY RESPECTED EACH OTHER! There were no physical fights, no name calling, no destruction of property, etc. Today, families want to shoot each other at the dinner table!

My daughter who grew up in NOLA and has never been outside of the USA (other than a tourist trip abroad) finally came to visit me in Thailand. She had some medical issues and was waiting the 4-6 weeks for her “consult”, so she took the trip. She was wondering “what does a 3rd world country look like”?

In 30 days, all of her medical issues was resolved by a skilled and advanced medical society, she visited shopping malls like she has never seen anywhere in the USA, everyone she met was pleasant, happy to meet her, she made many new friends, her stress level and anxiety levels dropped. She started eating healthier, was losing weight, shopped till she dropped, and at the end realized that it was America that was the 3rd world country!

I left because America is no longer the American I grew up in where we welcomed all races and religions from around the world. Today, it’s “Get out” if you’re not White, even to minorities who were born in the USA. To all of those who remain, have at it. It’s only going to get much much worse before it becomes better.

That’s why I left!

Big fish ♥

Well I guess I'll stroke my ego first and say I met Derek too at a convention so long ago I forget where but in the states after a panel he was on. Definitely genuine and nice guy. But a human like all of us, with fears, insecurities, wandering thoughts asking why this or that or how to get this or that (happy, fulfillment, funds, whatever). I've loved and loathed all places I've lived around the world after growing up in the US. I too seek adventure and knowledge and just moments that make you say wow that's cool, interesting, beautiful, heart pumping, etc cuz otherwise I feel dead. Is that growth, enlightenment or some other name? Who the fuck cares, just do what you want to do in the place you are in and are able to at the moment, including leaving that place if that's what you want and can. I've done the build a whole life, career, own a house etc then sell and give it all away down to a single suitcase and stay that way for literal decades traveling, staying in a country for months or years then on to the next. Rat and cockroach slums, local homes, beach cottages, backpacking, apartments, you name it.

Why leave the comfort and infrastructure of the US? Name all the bad things about the US and you have many reasons to leave and even be ashamed and not tell folks you're American. And same can be said for all countries for sure, I know from experience. I'd say why can't we all just be humans cuz I could care less where you're from, the sounds your mouth makes or who you screw, all I want to do is meet and learn from some nice, cool, respectful people who force nothing upon other humans.

And we can all explore and find new interesting things every day even in the same place forever if we look at the details and don't stop trying new things with ever changing perspectives. Our crappy place we're stuck in can be great if we literally do things differently. Talk to people you've never talked to, volunteer somewhere, watch tv news and shows from other countries online. If you drive to work, force yourself to get there a with no car and you will for sure have different thoughts on that journey than the everyday car ride. Live outside your house or apartment for one week with none of your stuff, in the dirt, in a car, on your friends couch, whatever and you will 'grow' and learn more about you and see the world differently and relate to others differently. How does one person love the freedom of hitchhiking and another hate every minute of it? They see different things in the same experience. You can change from being one person into another still in the same situation/place/job etc. I hope you can do all you want but when you think you can't, start changing something or be stuck forever. Up to you.

Thank you for eloquently putting in words that I've always felt. I have lived in 7 different states in America. Lived in Argentina and Italy 4 times. It's still not enough inner growth adventure for me. Nowadays my not so great health keeps me unhappily anchored as I depend on natural thyroid drugs to stay alive. Being only able to work part-time, can't even afford travelings that much. Hopefully, somehow, someday I can try living in different countries to stir the psychic jar of stagnated mud in water and to keep expanding mentally & emotionally.

This is your path, break your internal blockages via travelling and wiring in your diary. I am pretty sure that a senior Japanese Roshi who is suddenly sent to another country to live there is also at ease there. A good practice!

Appreciate the essay and I can relate. I especially like the focus on surprise. Living on autopilot will cause someone to grow blinders no matter how nice/not-nice their surroundings. Moving/traveling forces the aperture to widen. dig

While I was a student, moving was actually pretty simple. Pack a backpack and go.
Afterwards it has been much more difficult. Not impossible and we moved a few times, but a challenge that decreases the chances to move.

I'd love to hear your thoughts (a follow-up post?) on
-> Mindset changes in you / your family to let go the place, the comfort, the stuff one accumulates, any stable job or club or even group of friends;

-> Where to start? With a destination as a driver? or with an income (job in a new place)? or by decluttering to feel lighter? with all at the same time?

-> How to settle in a new place that makes the move easier?

Cheers!

I have travelled 60% of the world and could easily live in Europe or South America. Life is to be explored and you can always go back. I get it. Happy trails. Cheers.

Great perspective. As always enlightening.

Thanks for the concise piece, Derek! Always a most refreshing pleasure to hear from you and read something new. This is a good reminder. I’ve been in a place of recently purchasing a home and doing a fair amount of comfort seeking to assuage some of the consequent discomfort around work. Seeking the relief by going in the other direction, to a reasonable degree, is something I haven’t considered for many years. Again, always appreciate the fresh, turn-it-on-it’s-head perspective. Keep writing, and thank you.

Sam

I guess it's true that you can't stay in the Shire or even Rivendell forever. Adventure calls as do great missions!

Thank you; I agree that comfort leads to stagnation. However for me discomfort can be found locally. I have recently begun transitioning my family to a rural offgrid homestead homeschooling tiny-house adventure in southern Utah. Lots of learning. Needs to be a little scary.

somewhere surprising and has a warm climate is what I'm going for...its too cold where I am living. These small essays always help me to shift my mindset or see my life in a different light, thank you.

Hello Derek,
They say a rolling stone gathers no moss but it ends up a polished diamond.Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences.You are a very interesting person.
Goodluck Derek in all you do.

"Roam if you want to..."

- The B-52's

I was thinking about it today "I like so much where I live at now. I wonder when I will get sick of it and want to move again." - I have been living in South of France for a month. Before that, I lived in the French Alps for a year, and before that I was in Paris, and before that in different cities in Brazil. You know my story ;-) I am very good where I am now, but I also fear this intrinsic (almost physical) need I have for constant change, evolution, discovery. Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't discover what it is like to be stable for once, because THAT is very challenging to me.

Thanks for sharing. I did some traveling when I was in the Airforce. To different states and a few times out of the country. Some of the best experiences of my life.

I've done my share of roaming, but these days find myself drawn to the comfort of a warm den in a familiar place, surrounded by people I love. I've collected a few famous quotes to help reinforce my new perspective:

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." – Marcel Proust

"Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home." – Matsuo Basho

"You have no need to travel anywhere – Journey within yourself. Enter a mine of rubies and bathe in the splendor of your own light." – Rumi

"Why leave behind the seat that exists in your home and go aimlessly off to the dusty realms of other lands? If you make one misstep, you go astray from the Way right before you." – Dogen

I resonate with your "why" so well! I left Singapore for America (opposite of your journey) for the same reason you and the hero in Big Fish did; I was comfortable in my homeland, but that was not my purpose for living.

Appreciate you and the comments from other folks here. Makes me feel less alone whenever I recall how surprised friends and family were at my decision to leave.

Travel is the best education anyone can experience. It's in the now and it constantly changes...love it...!

Good for you. Unfortunately, these romanticized travel tips are not for everyone. I am Black and would love to travel, and do travel. But before I do, I have to take into consideration a lot of things a lot of Caucasians take for granted. Sorry to inject race into the discussion, but if you doubt me, just look at the treatment of the Black students trying to flee the violence in Ukrain!

Thanks for the perspective. Ocean Sailing does this for me when I am not traveling....

loved this Derek! To travel is to learn and adapt and find yourself again. Having lived in NJ, NY, NC, SC and now CO I can attest to the new beginnings and lessons you can only learn in the process. Not yet been able to do international living but let's see what's next around this bend?

Always a pleasure!
Kyle

Good food for thought, Derek, I like the story! Just wonder if you can still manage to feel the whole world as your home in this super turbulent reality we all are going through right now?

I needed this.

I get you.

I set motions in play last week for my next, unknown, destination as I am withering in my reliable, repetitive and predictable comfort.

There is another side to this- I spent 3 years living near a lake, and sailed on it every day. One day was never the same. The same with surfing, swimming, sailing salt water, or even cello. Intimate knowledge of place can be as expanding as stretching yourself with the unknown, because after you know someplace something or someone well enough, that is a deeper mystery. Just sayin’.

Have fun.

LOVE YOUR SPIRIT. THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR BLESSED THOUGHTS AND ENRICHING OUR LIVES.

LOVE,
TEE

Cool - and GREAT ANSWER, Derek! I certainly agree with the tenets of what you're saying. Not all of us have your stamina, but it's truly admirable!

Awesome post, Derek!
Looking forward to the reveal 😁

Beautiful blog. I like what you say and how you say it. It is like you think each word for the maximum power output. Your writing style resonates with my way of thinking...I would love to learn to write in your style ...maybe a book on writing? Thanks for your "music".

paragraph #4 hit home with me "try to understand people u disagree with" as I find it difficult in this politically driven world where I believe some loose track of what liberty & freedom is all about in America when their progressive & liberal thinking pushes ideals of depleting individual rights & freedoms. Your words have made me think of how I can learn from those that I disagree with as part of my growing experience.

When do we see you in Israel? :)

Thanks, for remembering me when you pour out some more of your originality, wit and global curiosity.

Of all the places I have lived in long enough to meet the people and learn their innate habits of that country or US states (all but 18 over 25 years of touring), central West Virginia and Anchorage Alaska were my favorites.

Of the countries where I managed to live there long enough to understand and communicate, at least minimally, in their native language was, ironically, Kiev, Ukraine.

Still cherish the early CD Baby years when pumping out two to three CD albums a year. Take Care, and keep in touch.

All the Best,

Clint Jones and The Synthonic Orchestra, Band & Choir

"Now, how that’s gone since I’ve left is a different story"
That must be a nice story to hear... :)

Inspiring! Thanks for the share.

There are good people all over the world! We sold everything -house, car, material things- keeping just a few simple items. and moved to Europe. We took our two pre-schoolers with us. They were the focus of new friendships that have lasted till now when we are in our 70s. I was a public school teacher, so I didn't really have to move to have a new experience every year. New kids were a new environment. What a wonderful life! Refreshed all the time with new minds. People in other countries have the same spiritual needs and desires as we do. We are really one human race in all the important ways. You have been an inspiration for many with your thoughts and your company. Thanks!
Rich

Great! So where are you living?

Great Derek! Thanks for the inspiration.

I truly admire your achievements and the incredible “superpower” you have of answering thousands of emails from unknown people (I was one of them, a few times :) ) but it seems that you’re always trying to find the next big challenge outside yourself where the actual ultimate challenge is within yourself. That famous Heraclitus quote (no one can step twice in the same river) points to what I’m trying to say here. It’s not the inside that changes too much with our outside but it’s the outside that changes a lot according to our inside. The real great journey awaits you within yourself, no matter where you actually are.

Derek -- I grew up in a military family, moving every two years. I attended seven grade schools, and four High Schools. There is a wonderful quality to learning across a variety of educational environments, coupled with differing cultural environments, and having to adapt. Change is life. There is a remarkable difference between the outlook of frequent transplants from those are in one community all of their formative years -- wonderful as it may be. I wouldn't change my experience for anything!

but what about family?
we may be brave enough to always find a new adventure
but maybe not with our family member
kid, wife, parents, etc

yet, I agree with the idea
I just started my 50, sometimes I just like "well this is ok for me, I don't need much more"
but sometimes, it likes to kill me myself

Thank you for sharing this! Funny thing is, I'm from Indonesia and I want to move to America, New York especially. I've been there last year for exchange and I fell in love with the city. Hope I can make that dream comes true this year!

Hi Derek! Different strokes for different folks, but I left my beloved, comfortable life, family, & Santa Monica apt. in Jan. & struck out on my adventure. I believe this body, this person deeply needed that. The 1st month was Sicily—wonderful in so many ways, & boy am I challenged & learning, not least of all as a woman alone. Am nearing the end of my second month—in Cordoba Spain, & next is Portugal. How I wish I could Vulcan-mind-meld the profundities I’m experiencing to my people. Thanks for your insights! 👋🏼

Food for thought. Thx Derek!

I wish I could ‘thumbs up’ some of the comments here Derek.

Comment section as good as your post!

What an adventure. I am anxious to know what places you visit and what you learn from it. The Netherlands is a very nice place to be for a while.

BRAVE

Beautiful! I want to learn to write as delightful as you. Thanks

Good for you Derek! Hope you find the new perspectives you're looking for! I suppose picking up the native language will help you with a much deeper immersion.

If I could make a recommendation, there’s a similarity between all the places you’ve lived—They’re all big cities. As a fellow world traveller and touring songwriter, I think you’ll appreciate that finding the overlooked stories in obscure places is one of the most compelling places to look for adventure, to awaken the blessed unrest, and to embellish the moment with words.

Thanks for your letters Derek. You’re brave to place your personal depths before the swine of the internet and I commend you for it. When a person has big plans for their life—and the gall to actually do them—the people who traded their dreams for comfort will feel attacked and lash out at you until their dissonance dissipates and they feel self-reaffirmed.

Its odd to me that people need to leave to find themselves. As a kid/adult we/I moved a ton and i lived in the US and Mexico. I find it more challenging to find my inner self. Do you and may you experience the change you seek!

Home is where your heart is.

Moving to new places and calling them home after a while, feels like a adventure.

jakarta 1960s

napier nz 1970s

perth aus 1980s

singapore 1990s 2000s 2010s

hmmm 2020s

hmmm 2030s

hmmm 2040s

hmmm 2050s

4 down 4 to go? ... really begs the question, "what is it to live a live worth living? haha cheers :-D

Hmm. Smells like,,,, hype. (which is a part of teen spirit)
Saying I LEFT,,,your cat or anything is drama. A cheap ploy! YES I recognize!
To understand other ways of life is fine & dandy, yet unless one sees the same
simplicity in all these different conditions/circumstances it is not actually helping. Neil Peart a much better lyricist than drummer IMO, lol,,, brilliantly spoke of the "underlying theme". THAT is THE thing! It is Love which comes in infinite forms yet the Same Content. It's never the same AND never changes.
Allah Akbar! And for the guilt impaired I say, Praise the Lord & Pass the Taters!
When one finds The Answer, words are useless.
I WOULD be Very into hearing you blog with the title; Why am I such a lucky mofo?". THAT Would pull Your unique YOUR Unique Experience and ever fluctuating thoughts & Feelings into play! REVEAL it! How you dealt & went through,,,whatever, be it high school or ending a marriage or becoming filty rich. I know the drop the rest is the Ocean. My inner rascal STILL is frustrated there's no urban drivers in my rural home! lolol

I love how you think and then take action. This really spoke to me. Thanks again for your articles! God bless you. Viki

Nice hearing from you as always. Interesting conversation also as always.




Take care

Stay curious, everyone! Our World needs more World Citizens, global thinkers, actors, huge hearts for compassionate listening. Happy trails ...

Thanks again Derek for your unique insights and approach to an adventurous, fulfilling life! This is wise and freeing as you continue to push societal boundaries and illustrate further how to really live.

You've always forged your own path, Mr. CD Baby

When you are done with travelling the world, do you take a ride to the space station and journal that for us?

You always have interesting insights!

Be safe!

Hi Derek, thanks for the beautiful article, continue your adventure and be safe!

Derek, you have always been an inspiration for me and I thank you for sharing your experience's. Best of Life my friend. Let me know if you ever come to Palm Springs. Steve

Your post really resonated with me. Even though I’m the only daughter of immigrants who couldn’t afford to send me abroad or saw the value in studying abroad, I tried to vagabond since I was 15 and learned to speak 5 languages fluently. I’m also reminded me of this bit of insight I want to share with you:
———-
An old vagabond in his 60s told me about it over a beer in Central America, goes something like this: The more places you see, the more things you see that appeal to you, but no one place has them all. In fact, each place has a smaller and smaller percentage of the things you love, the more things you see. It drives you, even subconsciously, to keep looking, for a place not that’s perfect (we all know there’s no Shangri-La), but just for a place that’s “just right for you.” But the curse is that the odds of finding “just right” get smaller, not larger, the more you experience. So you keep looking even more, but it always gets worse the more you see. This is Part A of the Curse.

Part B is relationships. The more you travel, the more numerous and profoundly varied the relationships you will have. But the more people you meet, the more diffused your time is with any of them. Since all these people can’t travel with you, it becomes more and more difficult to cultivate long term relationships the more you travel. Yet you keep traveling, and keep meeting amazing people, so it feels fulfilling, but eventually, you miss them all, and many have all but forgotten who you are. And then you make up for it by staying put somewhere long enough to develop roots and cultivate stronger relationships, but these people will never know what you know or see what you’ve seen, and you will always feel a tinge of loneliness, and you will want to tell your stories just a little bit more than they will want to hear them. The reason this is part of the Curse is that it gets worse the more you travel, yet travel seems to be a cure for a while.

None of this is to suggest that one should ever reduce travel. It’s just a warning to young Travelers, to expect, as part of the price, a rich life tinged with a bit of sadness and loneliness, and angst that’s like the same nostalgia everyone feels for special parts of their past, except multiplied by a thousand.
————
From: onemileatatime.com/curse-traveler/

I immediately watched Big Fish and love the movie.

Love,
Jenny

Thanks for writing this. It's well said, and something I try to live regularly.

Inspiring, insightful and always exciting. You are my national geographer. I am lifted and prepared to follow your lead and venture from my comfort zone to an unfamiliar place til it feels like my home as well. Thank you Derek, stay in touch...

Thank you Derek for your valuable thoughts. I think I have grown up today because of your article. Stay in touch...

I'd like to do the same thing, if I weren't so lazy......old age kinda does that to you, but I'm sure glad YOU gathered your guts and made the change, Derek. By the way, I love that picture.....There'a something about the grass.

Another wonderful text, thank you Derek!
Are you still in the UK or did you move again?
Keep well!
Cristina V

For # 269, @thejennywang, I can relate.

For part A, "gets worse the more you see" I think of the boss singing "54 channels and nothin' on." The same thing can happen if I buy too many CDs for my road trips and then no longer enjoy any as much as when I had a precious few.

For part B, "the same nostalgia everyone feels for special parts of their past" I think of nerds who read a lot, or appreciate classic music or black and white classic movies. For my part I pose as a "regular guy," and only converse about current mundane movies. but still. Today I finished the future-classic Circe, translated into 25 languages already, but I didn't find a chance to mention the story to my usual afternoon retired coffee buddies. Now I know why people go on Goodreads.

I commented on one of Derek's posts about a fellow at the campus speakers corner who mentioned being in Soviet occupied Afghanistan, this was back when the Russians were still there, and none of the other students, except me, went up to him to ask for details. So I try to encourage lonely travellers to talk, saying I sincerely want to know.

Luckily for me, I am privileged to know a married couple who frequently ask me to tell stories of my life, so I do, and that's nice.

Hi Derek,

Thank you for sharing! I am curious, though: it sounds like the places you have moved to so far have been in many ways those places most similar to the USA, especially with regard to the language, alphabet used, etc. If your goal is to really challenge yourself with somewhere that feels 'strange', are you not tempted by places that are are more different? Of course there are so many examples, but, for example: China, Japan, Finnmark, Madagascar, Jordan, Mali, Kerala...

Trying to settle, live and make your home in a place where at first you don't understand a single thing that is going on... I reckon that would really give you that 'otherness' buzz that you crave!

Thank you for what you do,

D

I am reading the power of know and I am realizing I am a manifestor/generator who gets bored when not experimenting. I can’t travel out the country yet but your book and the way you talk about life in Anything You Want has really spoken to my explorer nature so thank you for that refreshing lens.

I was born in Mexico and I can’t wait to also leave the US even if just for a while.

I love the way you put this. I am living a lot the same. I go out in the world and play for the people. It's a constantly learning experience.

Thanks for the post. Nice touch on self reinvention. Reminded me of the book the gifts of imperfection, the 10th anniversary edition. In the reinvention process , as any kind like leaving our home country, changing our job or anyother self reinvention, facing the fears and shames of being imperfect is important. One interesting suggestion by the writer is to read " The Alchemist" each year. I had read the alchemist years ago so I wondered but I read it anyway and now I know why... .

Hi Derek!

I've visited your blog after reading some of your books. This post resonates with me quite a bit as I'm also considering moving out of Japan for growth. I'm uneasy about the move, but I know I need to get out of my comfort zone. Taking this post as a sign to take the leap.

Renee

Read...I appreciate what you share, Derek. Some folks are born to continually 'wander' and explore, and many who read the wanderer's experiences piggy-back on what the wanderer learns and shares. Anxiety may be a propellant, but whatever, we're all passing through this short time and hoping for more pleasantness than angst during our brief sojourn :o) John

Comfort zone, eh?
Well, I ain't leaving my home country yet, because I still ain't comfortable here. Take driving. When I am in a mass of cars I can turn over my conscience to the "traffic flow," but too often, when cars are scattered, I know I am being dishonest about the speed limit: I still don't drive as well as my driving instructor, even after all these years—such a discomforting thought.

As an intellectual I buy as many books as I can cram in, and decluttering never makes me feel better, because it feel like such a waste of my time. But through my child eyes I know my mother thought I "wasn't good enough" if "my room wasn't cleaned up." And this drives me uncomfortably mad.

I can escape my discomfort by being a tourist, but when I return it's the same old place, so I bless my neighbours and don't forget to pray for grace.

Your writing is soothing and full of learning. Blessings!

Thanks for sharing ..
and because the world is round you can always left again if you are not rigth.

Hey Derek, I hope all is well with you? Cleaning out my inbox, I stumbled upon this text again. It's funny how it magically fits the moment I'm currently struggling with, ie. living. I received a very interesting job offer, to which I'll have to move to the extreme North of Brazil. Which gets me completely out of my comfort zone. I wasn't planning to move, or to work on this kind of projects. The opportunity just fell on my lap. I just wanted to let you know how deep you touch me with your art, as always. Thank you !!!

Always an interesting perspective. For myself, I have lived and worked in numerous countries in my career. But the thing that always strikes me when I return to the USA, is this is still the best place on earth!
Yes, we have our problems and there is a lot of divisiveness at present, but overall-- we have great people, a great national spirit and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else!

Yep, why I left my grey cubicle in the US and went to Mongolia!

I must say some of us have that luxury to leave. But for some of us, such as myself, we stay where we can. Even though I live where I am I appreciate that I have come out of my comfort zone. I entered a competition with a company in Canada for my music. I didn't win but that was alright. The music was musically correct by music theory standards. It was corrected even though that was painful. On YouTube I have learn to improv without fear. In Jazz that is a normal but, not for me I was always scare.

I could go on and on but its not necessary. Getting out of ones comfort zone for me can be done regardless of where you live. That person just needs to appreciate, think positive and move forward when opportunities come.

PS I feel like a major artist without the money. I say that because I've been able to collaborate with an artist in Indonesia and two persons in the Netherlands. Wow!!!!!! Of course, CDBABY played a major factor in this happening.

Derek have a great day sir.

Sounds very adventurous to me, thrilling and chilling at the same time. I welcome the idea you've taken up. So many things going on here that make me feel like it's becoming more and more unglued. I read nearly everything that you post. So thanks again for sharing a part of your journey's through this thing called life.

An interesting article. I wonder whether the word 'adventure' confuses us sometimes. Some of us may think adventure means having 'interesting' experiences, learning new things, having more fun, 'throwing caution to the wind' etc. To me, it seems adventure can include those things, and much more also.

True adventure is really about delving into the unknown, letting go -- and accepting that beyond a certain point, we have less control of the game of our lives. So adventure can also mean, pain, misery, suffering, regret, even early death. But the movies we play in our minds don't show these aspects at the get-go. The short answer of course: be careful what you wish for, make the wrong choice, and 'adventure' can give us something we don't expect that we don't welcome.

Perhaps the 'trick' if there is one is to have 'planned adventures'. With these, sure, we can go on our adventures, but we don't make stupid start-off choices. For example, we don't plan for a 4-week backpacking tour of eastern Ukraine right now and expect a good outcome. We don't decide to 'discover ourselves' with a 3-month fun trek in the Darian Gap, etc. So for me, planned adventures make more sense.

I love your attitude about exploration and finding new yous in other places I'm on that journey also but have only just started
I need to develop a more positive attitude about why I'm leaving the US and not the negative one I have started with

World travel
Music and differences in culture
Spice of Life
Thank you,
Derek

To grow also means to learn and USA is so full of problems from any point of view that effective solutions can be offered by any person who is really fond of learnig which means: studying seriously the problem in question and thinking creatively to adopt the best possible solution.

Hence, to be sincere, you have wasted an enormous chance to learn if you have always really wanted to be a great learner, but in my opinion you are a true artist and usually, apart from learning , true artists also wants other fundamental things like variety, new people, new places and so on, that's it!

All The Best!

Fabrice, greetings from Italy

Your life has been and IS amazing! Thanks for sharing your "adventures" with me!
Sherlie

Hi Derek,

I guess that your curious heart leads you to so many wonderful places...It's the same reason that I came to America to further my music study.

Very happy reading your articles each time! Cheers 🍻 Gong

"For all its material advantages, the sedentary life has left us edgy, unfulfilled. Even after 400 generations in villages and cities, we haven't forgotten. The open road still softly calls, like a nearly forgotten song of childhood.

We invest far-off places with a certain romance. The appeal, I suspect, has been meticulously crafted by natural selection as an essential element in our survival. *Long summers, mild winters, rich harvests, plentiful game, none of them lasts forever. Your own life, or your band's, or even your species, might be owed to a restless few, drawn by a craving that they can hardly articulate or understand, to undiscovered lands, and new worlds.*

Herman Melville in Moby Dick spoke for wanderers in all epoch and meridians. He said, "I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote. I love to sail forbidden seas."

Maybe it's a little early. Maybe the time is not quite yet. But those other worlds, promising untold opportunities, beckon. Silently, they orbit the sun. Waiting."

- Carl Sagan
Nice quote! Thanks for posting that. — Derek

Hello Derek,
Their are so many different perspectives to your journey. I grew up around poverty and gangs so my goal is to always live in an environment that doesn't raise the "FEAR" bar. I know my weaknesses and strengths well as I have challenged them as an athlete, musician, writer, visual artist and professional stand-up comedian. Success and failures abound...as I always dial in my health first. Everyday I'm challenged to somehow reach the pinnacle of my art forms in L.A. life. Bruised emotionally, I work through many, many challenges but I have no where to turn so everyday I make self-honest baby steps forward that tests my tolerance. The success rates are brief as my lessons continue in my own backyard... Now closer to selling my screenplay and better management. Peace

A call for adventures! Thank you!

Thank you for your open-hearted perspective, and for the healthy dose of optimism. It's a breath of fresh air.

I've been an expat for just over two of years, born and raised in the MidWest, from a blue-collar background. After experiencing the 09 recession in my teen years, and lived across numerous US cities, chasing better economic opportunities.

The 09 recession hit MidWestern folks pretty hard. Those were my formative years, and it felt like the sense of community was disintegrating around me. Many folks were forced to pack up and leave for work elsewhere. With such a backdrop, I thought, "Why not head out? What's there to lose?"

Once I moved to different American cities - LA, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, NYC, Toronto and the likes - the prevalent group tensions took me aback. Despite trying to maintain an optimistic outlook, the experience was a hard pill to swallow. It soured my view of what lies ahead for the US. It stung, to grow up in a low-income household amidst the fallout of outsourced manufacturing, only to be confronted with animosity towards my skin color once I found myself in new cities, hoping for better opportunities.

Maybe if I came from a well-off family, my experience would have been different, a kind of urban paradise, but I'll never know. From my standpoint, it feels like any groups in poverty are now caught up in a relentless zero-sum fight amongst each other. I sometimes wonder if the simply crazy difference in lived experiences between economic classes would shine a light on the real issues happening.

I'm no longer in the US, but I need a healthier, more uplifting reason for that. I left for my own sanity and heart, but I need to stop running and just let go of these ghosts. Your positivity is an example for me to follow. You've created an awesome blog. So, thanks for that.

I'm also from California, born in Montebello. I never thought I would travel or live abroad until by luck, my first career job moved me to Hong Kong for 3 years. When I returned to Los Angeles, I missed the constant culture-learning and problem-solving that went with living in a new country and eventually found a job in Beijing for 2 years. The pandemic forced my then-job to close up shop and I found myself back again in California. It's been years, but hat feeling of wanting to see the world has returned, and with it, I've begun traveling again. And it's looking like I will be moving again, this time to Taipei, in 2026.

I love what you wrote in this blog. And I have been wondering if giving up my current comfort was worth it, even though I knew it was. Thank you for reinforcement.

I'm feeling bitterness as I read your words, because I have not achieved the kind of "this is perfect" you had to leave. But then, who cares about perfection which is like the gurgling white foam on a wave - it looks still until you try to make out its exact shape and dissolves into fluidity.