AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! *catches breath* AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH *pants* Whew! I think I’m done…for now.

Picture it, Sicily nineteen twenty two…wait a minute… *ahem*

This afternoon, I was minding my own blissful business when the doorbell rang.  I wasn’t expecting company so I hurriedly grabbed some pants off of the floor, shout out to no pants Tuesdays, and made my way to the door. Standing there was the postman with a certified letter requiring my Johnesha Hancock. After turning down his one hundredth sugar daddy offer, I settled back in front of the TV. Using a butter knife I opened the letter and what was inside blew my entire mind.

Apparently I had a great aunt on my estranged father’s side that was quite wealthy.  Upon her passing she included me in her will granting 2 million dollars with the only stipulation being: within a year I must use the money to begin pursuing my passions. Say what now? Look-a here mystical auntie, you ain’t said nothin’ but a word.  Of course, I couldn’t keep this to myself, so I called my momma. After the fifth ring, she picked up and I screamed “MOMMA WE MADE IT!” I spent the next thirty minutes explaining and hyperventilating.

I jumped on Google and read all the stories of what NOT to do, because I did NOT want to wind up like those broke lottery winners. The immediate need was an attorney and accountant. After all of that was squared away, I would retire my momma and buy her a house.  Yes, that was very NBA/NFL of me but let me be great. I’m new to this. Now, I can’t forget about the kids! So, I set up trusts for the college kids and those coming of age in my family as well as children of friends. My final purchase was a loft in East Atlanta that will double as both work and living space once I return from my travels.

Within a month, I’d changed my number and packed my bags.  You see, one of my passions is travel.  To explore this world with no inhibition was always a dream. As I began my travels, I set up a website to stay in touch with my family and friends. This enabled me to combine my passion for travel with my love of writing and photography.

Five continents, over a 100 blog posts, and thousands of photos later, my last stop is the motherland. I’m currently in my room at the Giraffe Manor in Nairobi, Kenya admiring the countryside and waiting to feed the giraffes. I’m so blessed! I have been able to visit all the inhabitable continents on earth within the last year and learn from various cultures. I will return to Atlanta with a wealth of memories, experiences and deep gratitude for all the lessons learned in my travels.

~Ruth