Are you out of the closet?

Today is the Gay Pride parade and celebration in Seattle, and Mr. Betsy and I will be attending with some very good friends. I’m pretty sure my “opposite marriage” will remain secure as we celebrate life and love with good friends who currently don’t have the same rights as we do.  Not even the right to name a little ole blog “Married with Luggage.”

But this isn’t a political post (much).

This post is about all the ways we remain “in the closet” in our lives.

• Working jobs we hate to please parents/spouse/friends
• Letting excuses overrule our dreams
• Staying with the wrong partner due to money/history/apathy

(I could go on, but since I’ve already done all 3 of those things I think I’ll stop.)

You get the picture.

Living in the closet, whether it is to hide your sexuality or your life’s passion, is a dark and cramped place (even if you followed along when we decluttered). There is no room to grow, and it is so dark you can’t even see yourself.

I’m not a motivational speaker, but I do know how absolutely FREE I have felt since making the decision to sell everything and travel around the world. This is what I have always wanted to do, but “adult responsibility” has always held me back.

Hey, you may not want the same thing as me, but if you are anywhere near where I was a year ago, you are jonesing for a tiny little taste of that lifestyle you crave. And once you peek out the closet door, it is very hard to go back inside.

So my hope for you today is that you come out of the closet. And if you are already out of the closet, I hope you can be supportive to a friend or stranger who is not yet brave enough to open the door.

Because we all have the right to pursue our own happiness.

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Betsy Talbot writes about carving the lifestyle you want out of the life you already have. When she’s not writing, she’s paring down, saving up, and getting ready for a year of travel with her husband.