Social norms, a place belonging to fear and fear alone.

I always knew I was different. I knew that my peers in high school saw life in a different light than I did. I was filled with adventure and wanderlust while the people around me wanted to get out of "high" school, get married and have babies.

I, on the other hand, rebelled against every social norm I knew. Marry rich, they said. Make sure the husband knows about finances, and defiantly don't let him see you without makeup on.

When I opened my first business in Willmington, NC the people around me started to frown on my work. My mom asked me "why can't you just be normal." Which now is a question I have heard many times throughout my life as if there is such thing as "normal".

When I was 19, one of my best friends and I took a road trip making our way to New York to see Simple Plan in concert only to find out they were a few hours away in Charlotte, NC a week later. After living in different places and several road trips later this particular trip is always the one I look back on.

It was a sunny day, Becca was on the phone with her mom using her "good" ear as she called it since she was deaf in the other. She drove down the bridge like freeway keeping up with traffic without a care in the world. I remember following along on the atlas as we got closer to the Canadian border. I also remember punching her in the arm as we passed our last exit before the border.

The unknown hit us both as the traffic came to a stop. She began to scream at the traffic, "why are we stopping on the freeway!?" she huffed as if someone would magically answer her. I looked out the window as the words came out of my mouth. "We are at Canada's border." I look back at this moment now and realize this helped shape my thoughts on what it is like to really live life. I didn't know what to expect, we didn't learn about Canada in school or any other region of the world really but I remained calm and ignored that nagging "oh shit" feeling in my stomach.

Canada wasn't on my atlas either. The boxes we were driving too inched closer and the world of the unknown became a reality.

When we pulled up to the booth the man in the box had a resting grump face, he barked at us slightly while asking what we were doing there. She just looked at me with fear in her eyes so I knew it was my time to answer. I told him we were on a road trip. When he said where too, I said I have no idea. He didn't seem to like that much but proceeded to ask me if we had any weapons in the car. I handed him my pocket knife and he rolled his eyes. "Just food for though these guys haven't changed."

He finally asked if we wanted to go to Canada and I said sure. He had the expression that we were dumb kids but let us in. For a few minutes, we kept going feeling like the road was going to collapse from under us since neither of us. I began to become more excited about the unknown and then it hit me.. I must call my mom and let her know where I am.

And this is where the story begins to shape my being. I'll never forget her panicked words as she screamed for me to leave. Turn around she said, "Canadians hate us, they will kill you" I laugh now just thinking about it. I remember saying "Okay, mom it's time to go" and hanging up the phone before she could continue.

Fast forward a few years when I moved to Japan and then Peru, I remember her words clear as day "why can't you just go back to Canada." And every time she said those words to me I knew I was doing the right thing by going somewhere new. Life was fantastic when I was trying new things and going new places. I never feared what could happen, I only wandered the world knowing that people are generally good at heart.

That trip turned out to be amazing! We went to Niagra Falls, flew over it in a helicopter, met amazing people, (who did not try and kills us) got drunk in one of the casinos and had a time of our lives. I couldn't have had another experience like this and it scares me to think what would have happened if I would have listened to my mom as she told me I was going to die.

I miss that woman dearly, but logic was never her strong suit and it only took her five + years of me traveling to finally realize that travel is the best gift a person can possess.

Now I have entered the border to Canada at least ten times and I almost feel more at home there than I do here in the United States where I am from. Traveling has opened up my world to another life, a life I never knew was out there.

You will never know just how amazing life is until you break away from the social norms or step outside of your comfort zone. Nor will you ever grow if you continue what you have always done instead of doing the things you've always wanted to do.

Next time you get a chance to do something new, don't walk away from it! That could be your calling to find you are a completely different person and that you really never knew yourself in the first place! Carpe diem!