The Day I Received 50 Books

Day before yesterday, while I was busy mixing mud for the earthbag house we’re building, UPS delivered three small boxes and two huge ones with my name on them. I couldn’t recall placing any large orders in the recent past…

I washed the mud off my hands, picked up one of the smaller mysterious boxes and opened it. Inside were five copies of Happiness of Pursuit. My books had arrived!

A few weeks ago I pre-ordered 10 of these books by world traveler Chris Guillebeau, one of my favorite bloggers, intending to do a big giveaway on my website and very much looking forward to reading the book myself.

I picked up another small box, wondering if it would contain the other five books, but it only had one!

“Odd,” I thought, reaching for the third small box. “Maybe the other four are in here.” But it, too, only contained a single copy.

I’d been shorted three books! I had no idea what would be in the two giant boxes I had yet to open, but was pretty sure a box that size wouldn’t have only three books.

I grabbed the tape and ripped it from the top of the box. A dozen more copies (and a lot of packing material)! Something wasn’t right.

The other box couldn’t possibly contain even more books, could it? I ripped the tape off, then gasped as I opened the flaps and gazed at the contents. The box was FULL of books! I grabbed the packing slip from the top of the stacks of books and looked at the quantity. Thirty one copies?!

It was like the miracle of the three loaves (small boxes) and two fishes (large boxes), and the books just kept on multiplying…

I had ordered 10 copies, but somewhere along the line Barnes & Noble saw fit to pack up 50 copies (total value: over $1,000) and ship them my way. What a jackpot!

I now await instructions for what to do with the 40 extra copies, but in the meantime I’ve pulled one out and started reading it.

Happiness of Pursuit, all about quests, makes a great read for aspiring travelers, especially those who yearn to travel but just don’t see how it can be possible given their present life circumstances.

A decade ago, as a young teacher, I ached to travel more. I wanted to return to my childhood home in Mexico and to strike out across the ocean and explore new continents. It wasn’t enough to just travel around the U.S.–I had to see the world. I figured that with such a strong calling I must be destined for a life in the mission field.

As opportunities for travel began to come my way, an indescribable excitement would well up inside me. I never felt more at home and “settled” as when I was on the road or in an airplane seat. My discontent melted away at these times, and I felt I was living the life meant for me.

Despite a career that gobbled my time, debt and bills that grasped at my modest income, and challenges such as language barriers, I was determined to make travel a consistent part of my life. I remember describing it almost like a basic need–like food and shelter. Obviously I would not physically die if I didn’t travel, but when too much time passed between travel opportunities, I began to feel as if my soul was starving. I had to get out and see the world. And where there’s a will, there’s a way.

What are you excited about? What makes you feel like you’ve found your calling? Please share your passion in the comments below!

If you want to pursue your own passion, dream, calling–whatever you call it–whether travel related or not, I recommend reading Happiness of Pursuit!

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