The End?

A few weeks ago, Mr. Cents and I vacationed to Peru in our long held dream to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. The experience was simultaneously the best and the worst days of my life. Hiking the same ancient trails the Incans did centuries ago was surreal - and exhausting. (Didn’t these people think of escalators? No wonder they were defeated by the Spanish Conquistadors. But I digress…)

But there are also people who lived there now, in conditions that would make any person from a “civilized” country cringe. Things we take for granted, like indoor plumbing, clean water and accessibility to first aid. I’m not much for camping typically, but even the intrinsically outdoorsy (read – our beloved travel companions) found some of our accommodations difficult to endure. It made me realize just how lucky we really are. After all, privilege is largely about where you are born. I’ve heard a lot about the arguments of basic human rights this election, but even the poorest populations in the United States often have far better resources than many of the impoverished families I met on our trip. The reality of the working poor in a less civilized country made all my ramblings about frugality seem pretty insignificant.

I don’t know if it was the trip, or being away from the internet for an extended period of time, but I no longer had the drive to write for Our Common Cents once I returned. Writing felt more like an unpaid obligation than a hobby. It wasn’t as fulfilling as it had been in the past, so I’m turning in a new direction. During the upcoming year I’m aiming at working on the things that enrich our life – not just make us materially richer. Should I decide to share our journey, it will be in another site, and in a very different direction.

I’ll keep you posted.