That's It! I'm Taking The Hint. Travel Blog Now On Hold Indefinitely.
I'm pretty disappointed by this, but I'm shelving the travel blog project. The universe is obviously trying to tell me something! The motorcycle travel blog I was planning is being put on indefinite hold! This just isn't working out.
My dreams of working on a motorcycle travel blog have just not worked out well for me at all. I started the project late in 2018. As soon as I started working on the project it was like a barrage of bad luck and anything that would possibly get in the way of or impact the project negatively, did happen. It's bizarre really.
The string of events starting in 2019.
Crypto markets continue to tank. Not a big deal trip plans still doable. I've already put aside the cash I need. Could use a better motorcycle, but I'll make do with what I have.
Spring weather works against me in the beginning of the season. Unseasonably cold weather and an almost constant barrage of rain till the last week of June. First planned destination gets storm warning, and entire town floods. WTF.
Lower back goes out, and I can barely ride motorcycle around neighborhood let alone drive cross country or several hundred miles at a time.
Warmer months arrive, weather starts getting nice, bike suffers a weird electrical issue, takes close to 6 weeks to diagnose and fix.
Parents decide it's time to close the family business. This is a good thing because I can focus on more stuff I've been putting on hold for a really long time, but now I have to help with the business closing. This is a problem because it coincides with summer months and travel times. Family first, I'll try again in 2020. Also cuts into finances a bit.
OK... 2019 is a wash. The Dood's an optimist though and there's always 2020!
We finish closing the family business in October of 2019, I spend the next few months exercising, stretching and getting healthy. Back pain is going away and The Dood's feeling good.
Start web design business, bring on a couple clients. Work out a couple other sources of income and trading slowly starting to become profitable again. Stoked and feeling confident I decide to redesign the travel blog. I make my first attempt at a creating a custom WordPress theme and love the result. I finally have the layout I've wanted for the travel blog! Getting really excited.
Work and finances. CHECK
Health issues in order CHECK
Blog design. CHECK
Motorcycle running good. Check
Err um... Slow down there Sparky!
Saturday night I start working on travel plans. I decide instead of a cross country trip I'm going to do several fun local trips focusing on the surrounding states. I select destinations in NY state, (Adirondacks, Lewis County, Niagara Falls, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie).NY is my home state and I also decide on destinations in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Vermont and Massachusetts. Maybe if things go well I can swing Kentucky, Virginia, and a trip to Baltimore / Washington DC area. These will all be weekend mini vacations and a few 1 week to 2 week trips.
I stay up Saturday night till 5 A.M. I download maps, start budgeting finances, look into accommodations and camping destinations. Super excited, awesome destinations picked, budget seems doable, should make for some fun trips and interesting content. I even look up a few addresses of legal marijuana dispensaries outside of NY. I just want to buy some legal weed and have a little fun.
Sunday afternoon I'm shoveling some snow from the driveway puttering around the yard. I decide to start up the dual sport motorcycle, take a little ride around the neighborhood and get a charge on the battery. The motorcycle is a little stubborn starting. It's been a few weeks since I kicked it over. I get her started and take a short 15 minute spin around the neighborhood. The bikes running great! Get it in the driveway, do a little burnout in some snow and as I pull it into the garage the engine starts making the most horrendous noise I've ever heard.... I have no idea what happened but this doesn't sound good!
I'm not mad or salty. I'm just saying what's happening here. Worst case scenario I buy a new engine for the bike. I can get one for under $1100 bucks however, I've lost faith in the bike and I can't help but think the universe is trying to tell me something. Every time I start working on this project, I get slammed with wave after wave of bad luck.
I'm one of those people that believes everything happens for a reason. We don't always understand those reasons, but the universe is a mysterious force. I also believe that when something is supposed to work out it will in it's own time. Eventually, this may all work out organically. I'm just not forcing the issue anymore. Moving on to greener pastures! Maybe this is the universes way of telling me to focus on trading and web design. Sometimes when things don't go as smoothly as planned it's the universes way of saying, "Hey, wrong direction. I need you somewhere else right now! This isn't what I want for you right now." When things are supposed to work out the universe will pave the way for you, remove all obstacles, and place you exactly where you need to be to succeed! That's certainly not happening here right now.
Call it hokey or superstitious but I've always believed this. For this reason, project travel blog is on hold till circumstances seem less foreboding. The universe has spoken.
It's unreasonable, but I hate motorcycles.
I know your post is about much more than that, but it is just how triggered I get.
I am happy that you will continue to have working legs in the future.
LOL, thanks ... I think :)
I get your meaning. Thanks for the well wishes :)
Sorry to hear it's not going well. I don't believe in karma and stuff. Sometimes bad shit just happens and you do not deserve it. Hope things pick up soon and you get to do some travelling.
Thanks brother! For the most part, things are going well, just not for that project... I'm chuckling as I write that. I was just telling someone this afternoon, I'm not even upset about the bike. It's more about the weirdness of the timing. I kept telling myself it was in my head last season, but this is just way too weird. For the time being I'll have to live vicariously through other peoples adventures :)
BTW I just heard this Steem Summit is happening in your area in June. Could be interesting.
I'd definitely like to check that out. That's minutes from my house. You planning on attending?
I doubt I'll be able to make it, but look forward to your report. You'll meet some great people
Weren't you starting some other things when your parents got rid of your business?
Any interest in sharing on what you've been doing on that front?
Mainly the web design business. For the most part that's going great. I picked up a couple local clients already and I've branched off into some other areas too, building portfolio work and sites that are creating ad revenue. I don't blog about it much, because it's hard to write about your own business without it coming across spammy. Maybe I'll start a monthly about freelancing and the web dev business.