The Divergent

Divergence: A deviation from a course or standard.

It all started when this southern boy from Tennessee moved to a California surf town. Don’t get me wrong. East Tennessee is a beautiful place to live, but trading the Appalachian’s for the mountains of Santa Cruz was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I'm reminded of that every single day by the amazing scenery, world class surf, insanely good mountain biking, and close proximity to the Sierras. The general lifestyle and culture my wife Billie and I have found here in Santa Cruz seems to suit us well.

We originally packed our things and moved so that I could work full-time as a video editor. After about a year I decided to test the waters a bit so I set out on my own and started a small video production company. Things were going well, but about two years in, I started to realize how much I valued my free time and how little of it I was actually getting. Although we were landing some decent jobs and keeping the schedule full, I didn't feel like I was really living life. I was working non-stop, and when I wasn’t working I was thinking about work. I'm really not sure how it happened, but one day I had a thought that wouldn't go away. What am I doing living in this amazing place and why am I not taking advantage of it? I think sometimes this career thing gets so ingrained into our brains that it makes it really difficult to step back and look at the bigger picture. It was time to start working to live instead of living to work. I immediately changed course and started selling off a bunch of my gear. I basically downsized the company to a point where I now own just enough gear to freelance and get by. I do my job for someone else and when the project is complete, I walk away. No more worries and no more stress.

Things have been going great. I’ve managed to keep a relatively full schedule, and I've still managed to set time aside for things like bike rides, surfing, sailing, spearfishing, family, friends, and a 6 day off-shore sailing adventure I will explain later!

Things have actually been going so well that Billie and I have recently decided to see how far we can push this new found freedom. Through much debate and hours of research, we have decided to set sail in November 2015 for the Sea of Cortez in Mexico. We still haven’t determined how long or how far we are actually going to cruise during this adventure. The important thing is that the wheels are already in motion.

Have we gone off the deep end yet? Maybe. But we are both extremely excited for this new chapter in our lives. The worst case scenario is we come back to the States debt free and a lot wiser. Best case scenario...we continue to enjoy ourselves, cruise, and explore what the rest of the world has to offer.