It’s already April, and that means that our family is only a couple of months away from our third summer migration. This year, we will head East toward North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and back through New Orleans. The early highlight will be taking the children through my old haunts in Mississippi — where I will gladly show them the “house with all the animals.” (More stories on that to come.)

Hopefully you have made summer plans of your own. Whether country or cityscapes are in your future, remember to take time. Remember why you choose to trip to begin with.

And, if you need a reminder, this video may help.

When your finally breath comes, what will you think on? Will you wish you had spent more time in the office? That you burned a few more hours watching videos like this on YouTube?

Will you stare into that last bright light and wonder, “What if I had worked a few hours more and spent less time with family?”

Life is to be lived — to be shared with those we love — to be passed on as a story all its own.

If my life flashes before my eyes at the end, I don’t want a short film. I want it to be like the Hobbit — full of music, dancing, travel, friends and unnecessarily long descriptions of characters and places.

I want a 50-gallon drum full of memories, not an unchecked bucket list.

I want to be able to picture those purple mountains’ majesties, feel those golden plains brushing my legs, smell the wildflower meadows, and hear the waves crashing the coast.

I hope that you and I see the beauty of ten thousand sunsets.

And that we remember:

Blessed were the curious;
Fulfilled were the adventurers;
Those who knew the glories of a life fully lived;
Who cast off the tethers of shore and set sail for new horizons;
Who discovered new oceans with the courage to lose sight of the shore.

Life is short. The world is wide. Go.

Wherever you go, go with your full heart.

Store photos with your mind. Collect moments with those you love.

We don’t travel to escape life, but for life not to escape us.

As for today — I haven’t been everywhere. But, it’s on my list. You should join me.