I took quite a break last week, from midweek to the weekend, since it was my birthday week. I want to share my adventure with you, but bear with me, it’s going to be long. 😅
Ahead of my birthday on the 15th, I cleared up my schedule completely. At first it was for nothing, but then…
Inspired by a friend who just came back from her solo road trip, I thought, oh, I could do that too! I actually have thought about it in the back of my mind for a while, but never really manifested it. It was just sitting there.
As a coach, I help people create their future. While I’m trying my best to be in the present moment, in reality, my attention is mostly in the future.
And honestly, the idea of going without a destination, not getting attached to the outcome, and just following my intuition of whatever pulls me, is scary.
What if I get lost?
What if I want to quit?
Still, I packed my bag and decided to go on my first road trip to nowhere.
The rules are simple:
- No (prior) destination
- No expectations
- No ETA (estimated time of arrival)
- No rush
- I can go back home anytime…
I woke up in the morning and thought, oh, am I really doing this? I was scared…
But then I thought,
There is no losing here. I can go back anytime.
First, I took time to get my haircut (I actually didn’t like the result lol, ah well), then sat in a coffee shop to finish up some work before I left.
No rush.
I drove and drove… and I went to tol Cikampek, then Cipularang… towards Bandung. 🚗
I took time at Rest Area KM 88, prayed in the beautiful mosque, bought some snacks, people-watched, and called up my friends… I spent quite a long time there.
It felt so weird in the beginning… but then, it felt amazing! I was so present all along.
No target, ETA, or anything.
Midway, I called up a friend. I remembered he has a house on the hill in Pangalengan, Kab Bandung. I asked if he was home and if I could come over, and he said YES!
And so I went.
And it was so fun! We had so much fun catching up, going to the sunrise point to eat Indomie rebus and teh panas overlooking the tea plantation, buying plants for the garden, a bit of gardening, reading books, and oh my, I fell in love with the chickens! Lol.
After that,
I decided to go to my family getaway in Puncak. I thought about it a lot, wanting to go through Cianjur, and so I did.
I really enjoyed the driving and the views. Again, no rush.
It was my first time passing by Cianjur town… it was kind of nice. It took 3.5 hours to get home to Cipanas. I used very little GPS, only followed the road signs most of the time. The old-school way 🙂
I thought I was going to be there all alone in my block, but it turned out it was pretty rame! Bu Haji, my neighbor rumah sebrang, was home, and Tante next door, who is only here occasionally, was there too! Yay…
Bu Haji made me cireng, and gave me some cherry tomatoes from her garden (and two tiny strawberries!). I had a long chat with Tante tetangga too, she came over to see my tiny garden and home. My housekeeper cooked for me, ayam goreng and some sayur labu from the garden. Akang washed my car.
My heart is full and I’m so thankful.
I spent my time there mostly just at home or going somewhere in the neighborhood. Slow morning walks… playing piano… picking some chillies in the garden… a bit of doom scrolling (lol) and journaling.
Oh, I had a really nice encounter with teteh-teteh the shopkeepers in Lawson when getting my coffee.
I helped them with some foreign customers (they were so nervous, asking me to stay with them and translate). After that, I gave them my handwritten bookmarks, and they were so happy and almost cried! We took pictures, and they even treated me the coffee!
It was so so nice. I didn’t feel lonely at all.
Five days.. four nights… that’s the whole trip.
I’m so glad I did this trip!
I learned so much about myself during this short trip. Here’s what I learned:
- I like Iced Americano (I was always a kopi susu gula aren girl, lol!).
- I feel safe whenever I see Indomaret and Alfamart. True! 😅
- Traffic doesn’t bother me at all when I’m fully present. I can fully observe my surroundings (or just let my mind wander).
- I didn’t die… I can do scary things (yay!). 🎉
- I learned to embrace the unknown… and trust life, wherever it takes me.
- I love people, more than ever.
I’m deeply grateful for this whole experience, every road I took, every beautiful encounter (and not so lucky ones too), every bit of it.
If you are navigating a busy week or your mind feels stuck in the future, remember to give yourself permission to slow down, be open to possibilities, and let life surprise you.
Thank you for reading my story, and for being you. ❤️
And I’m ready for my next journey around the sun! ☀️
You are meant to thrive.
With love and gratitude,
Inuk
Final Thought
The journey is the destination.
P.S. Whenever you’re ready for a quiet space to navigate leadership or transitions with clarity, take a peek at my coaching program here, or simply say hi below! ❤️
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