First post in NZ. Dedicated to Jane Simpkins
I’m typing this with 1 hour left in my flight from LAX to NZ. It is 1:32 est and it’s 7:32 NZ time. But NZ is a day ahead. So it’s Saturday for y’all and Sunday for me. Saturday Feb 24th essentially never existed for me. This flight has been 13 hours long and I did my best to stay awake but ended up crashing at 3:30am est. No Wi-Fi on this delta flight. Weird. But I like it.
I’ve started to get a little into a little bit of a pattern believing every that that happens has a reason behind. Sometimes my mind will reach for it but other times things are definitely meant to be.
It’s only right to introduce Jane as I don’t think this website would be happening without her. Jane is the wife of Aaron Simpkins and the mother of two amazing kids named Jordan and Taylor Simpkins. They have lived in the neighborhood for awhile and I most recently lived directly across the street from me.
In my phone I’ve got Jane nicknamed Madre. She’s also BAM! Ask her. She has been a second mom to me.. whether that is making sure I’m fed if I haven’t eaten in awhile or if I just want to talk about what’s on my mind. She makes herself available and listens. Jane has always made me feel seen. I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. She’s a hard worker, teacher, party planner, mother, wife, friend, neighbor, and an all around amazing human being.
The name for a friend in me came to life in their kitchen last December and we wrote on a piece of yellow paper. It still hangs on a wall amongst other fun quotes and such from different people in the neighborhood/family. The Simpkins have been with me and AFIM every step of the way.
Aaron is the one who created the blue thumb. All I did was tell him what the name was and we were going to be about and he came back with the most amazing logo. It’s really symbol more than a logo to me. Now it’s tattooed on my body lol. My very first tattoo. I have always been extremely grateful for Aaron for helping bring the idea to life.
When I started talking about this little sabbatical over at the simpkins it started off as me wanting really go off the grid and not talk to anyone or keep up with anything. I was going to just go. And I still am going off the grid a little but not to the extreme I had originally planned.
Jane got the wheels turning how helpful it would be to document a trip of a lifetime like this.. and I did plan on journaling for myself. But she talked about how something like a blog/vlog showing people that there is more world out there to see.. and that we don’t give up. Leaps of faith are apart of life. I could share this with others and share my experiences and thoughts along the way in hopes to provide inspiration to others. It would also provide something for me to reflect back on down the road. We do believe it will be a life changing trip.
So here we are.. putting things off social media but in a place that can still be accessed. It takes an extra click or effort to get here and it’s not forced upon the world. This is not meant to be something that I plan to monetize or become some influencer type deal. This is for me to reflect on down the road. This is for you to understand me better. This is for you to possibly find strength, or hope, or courage. I want you to see me staying alive and never giving up. Because I don’t want you to give up either.
Lastly,
My parents and I pulled into Mary Macs tea room the day of my flight. We have never been as a family. If you don’t know Mary Mac’s it’s a classic comfort food restaurant in Atlanta where you mark on a card with a pencil you’re meat and 3. It’s the bomb. This was my last American meal before the trip.. cornbread, chicken n dumplings, collard greens, and rice/gravy. I didn’t eat much it was an emotional day. But the bites I had were delicious.
In the parking lot we ran into Jane leaving the restaurant with coworkers. I have never run into Jane in my life in public. Atlanta is bigger than you think and I go to Mary Mac’s maybe once a year. I couldn’t believe it out of all ppl to run to it was her. I believe that it was meant to be. Thank you Jane for always supporting me and loving me. You provide a bright light in not only our neighborhood but all of the lives you interact with daily. Your students have the best teacher ever. I love all of you, Simpkins. Thank you for everything!
