“A ship in its harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are for.” – John A. Shedd

I can’t remember exactly where I read this quote for the first time, but as soon as I read it, I knew it resonated very well with me and my personality. Some travelers never think twice about being on the road. If they happen to stumble across a suitcase, they throw whatever is closest in it and are gone. Whooosh! If I were to stumble across a suitcase, I would want to jump on the first plane/train/car/donkey out of town, but I’m not spontaneous enough to do it without some serious thought.

I tend to be a bit cautious, even when I am going after what I want (e.g. travel). The voices in my head start saying things like “do you really have the money for this?”, “what might you miss at home while you’re gone?”, “what if there won’t be anyone to talk to on this trip?”, and for longer trips “what will this do to my career path?”, “Health Insurance??” I almost never let these things stop me, but I do often have to mumble the phrase “A ship in its harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are for” to myself so I can get the worrying demons out of my head and start packing.