Kara and I are currently in Fort Collins, Colorado. Since getting here, we’ve ranged out to local towns, gone hiking with friends, had some great food and great coffee. We even celebrated my birthday here.

The Autumn has brought with it a shift in color and tone—we find ourselves surrounded by golden hues as the leaves turn. This gold falls to the ground around us, painting the entire landscape like a scene from a coming-of-age film. I’ve sat by lakes that look like the sort of thing people save to their computer desktops or iPhone backgrounds.

When we started this journey, even before it became #VanLife, I’ll admit to some trepidation. Despite the fact that this is something I’ve talked about, dreamed about, wanted since I was very young, I’d gotten al little relaxed in my life. I had come to love my little office, with the plush chair for napping and the hand-hewn desk made of plumbing fixtures and barn wood. I’d gotten accustomed to dreaming, instead of living, but I was ok enough for it. I had a very comfortable spot.

Getting out here has been a little uncomfortable. And that’s good. Discomfort means growth. I like growth.

In the past couple of months, Kara and I have called a lot of places home. Holland, Michigan, was beautiful. So were the Black Hills of South Dakota. We enjoyed Cheyenne, Wyoming, and we’ve loved every minute of Fort Collins, Colorado, as well as Loveland, Longmont, Boulder, Golden. We’ll head for Colorado Springs soon, and we already know we love it there.

This has been a weird sort of journey, but it’s filling me up. It’s giving me a sort of nourishment I didn’t even realize I was missing. Trepidation went out the window after the first thousand miles.

Eventually I’ll go back to the office, and the plush chair, the naps and the hand-built desk. It will be in a new space, a new part of the world I probably haven’t even been to yet. It’ll will be just one more part of the journey.

Until then, the world is my office, my front and back yard, my meditation garden and my inspiration.

Not bad.