austin

One of the most-asked questions on my book tour was: “What comes next?”

Now that I’m back from Paris and have moved out of New York City, and now that my book tour is over, what are my next big plans?

Well…

Not much.

Right now, I’m back in Austin. I have to finish moving into my new apartment (why do couches take so long to arrive?) and, beyond a couple of trips to NYC and DC for weddings, I don’t plan on leaving Austin for a long time.

My passport is staying in my drawer. I’m not moving back to New York or Paris or some other city. I’m not working on a new book. There’s no new big projects. Nothing.

For the foreseeable future, all I see is Austin.

And I’m very excited about that.

A tree only grows when it has roots, and now that the madness of all this year’s projects is over, those roots can finally start to weave their way into the earth and provide the foundation for further growth.

I can finally get into the one thing I’ve been craving all year: routine.

I’m going to get into a better workflow, go back to the gym, start cooking again, take up some hobbies, sleep more, and maybe even start holding monthly meet-ups.

Who knows!

I used to think that I had to rush my travels, that there was too much of the world to see, and that that was why I couldn’t stop traveling — because, if I did, I’d never see it all.

And to me, that was a crime.

That’s why it was always “just one more trip.”

Part of me still feels that way.

But, in reality, there is no rush. You can never see it all. There will always be something else to see or do, or something new.

And it will still be there in a few months.

So, right now, the world can wait. I’m tired of being on the move. I’m tired of staying in spaces not my own. I’m tired of wearing the same three shirts over and over again.

When that kind of burnout happens, you have to stay put.

So I will stay put and recharge the battery named “travel.”

I don’t know how long it will take. I don’t really care.

I’m in no rush to go anywhere right now.

I always define travel as something that pushes you out of your comfort zone and makes you grow as a person. Being home and learning to stay put will be a new adventure. This is something I’m going to have to learn how to do (it was really tough passing up on super cheap flights to the Seychelles).

So, in a way, I guess that is what comes next is a deep dive into this concept called “home.”

I’m looking forward to the challenge.