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Wanderlust
July 1st, 2009 | Jeff Zutant
(via Facebook, MySpace, Digg, email and more)
In the first of his series of posts, Featured Tripper Jeff Zutant tells why he's packing up his Jeep and going on a road trip across the U.S.
Good God!
I feel like I'm 8 years old, it's Christmas morning and the new Atari 2600 is waiting for me under the tree. (Yes, Mom and Dad. We peeked.) I am so excited I can't stand it. It's almost time to go.
Five weeks ago, I was a different man. I was getting ready for a much-needed vacation with my best friend to go camping on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. A long-standing tradition, we were trying to re-establish it before the birth of his first child. (She is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen and I can't wait to spoil her rotten.)
Then my arms started to hurt. Since I was going to be in a tent in the middle of nowhere, I went to the ER to get it checked out. I didn't leave the hospital for a week. Turns out, I had an MRSA infection and came a little too close to the edge. There were no last rights or anything close to that, but when you find yourself alone at 4am crawling to the nurse’s station for some kind of relief, you tend to think about life for a bit. And I realized that something was wrong. As a 36-year-old man, I wasn't happy with work, with the world, with myself. I recovered over the next few weeks, got back into work and thought things were looking up. Then I was laid off. It wasn't entirely unexpected, but there I was: stunned, silent and unemployed for the first time since I was 14.
Now what?
It’s not an easy question to answer. When I was younger, I sang in band. I loved it. I literally sang for my supper. While most of my friends were graduating from school and getting married, I was going my own way. It wasn't easy, though. In fact, it was damned hard. The singing ended, along with an engagement and ever since, I have been missing a release that I have recently discovered again in photography. I love taking pictures and getting to show a little bit of myself to this world while I'm here. If singing was my church, than a camera and the right shot has become my pilgrimage.
So, here I am. A man with wanderlust that has led me on many travels here in the U.S. and in Europe. With that desire, there was only one solution to my situation: A ROAD TRIP! I'm packing up my 17-year-old Jeep, my 40-year-old friend, my 36-year-old ass and heading out to see all this country has to offer.
When I was writing music, I had this line that I could never fit into a song. It's really cheesy, but the more people I meet, the truer it seems. "I hope my funeral will be attended by many people I have not yet met." Juvenile, I know, but a thought I hope to expand upon while I'm gone. I may stumble on a place that feels like home, a girl that makes me want to stay, a job that makes me feel like I can contribute something to this life and – who knows? – maybe a couple more friends I haven’t met yet.
Related Topics: career, health, Jeff Zutant, road trip, travel
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Jeff Zutant | 6 Comments »
Wanderlust
(via Facebook, MySpace, Digg, email and more)
July 1st, 2009 at 10:25 am
Can't wait to "see" your journey!! An amazing start for sure! Oh and thanks for bringing that Christmas morning feel to us too!
July 1st, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Love the line! So appropriate for your journey. I can't wait to see the pics and here the stories. Best of luck on your travels!
July 1st, 2009 at 4:50 pm
Hey Jeff! So relieved that you're okay and got through everything relatively unscathed. Psyched about your trip. Excellent! Enjoy the adventure and keep an eye on my brother. I LOVE you guys! XO :-) Be safe!
PS Ironically, the security code to enter my post is "YNOD" …which I'm interpreting as….Why not!? Go for it and have fun. Look forward to seeing you two when you get back. And, you two BETTER come back! ;-)
July 2nd, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Enjoy life while you can Jeff! Maui awaits you guys when you get to LA. Flights are cheap cheap cheap! Cheers!!
Matty
July 4th, 2009 at 10:33 am
So where are you now??????????
Anxious to hear more
July 8th, 2009 at 5:46 am
Enjoy Yourself and be safe!