TRIPP’s 2019 IN REVIEW

I live to make a mark on human lives. This year on The Impossibility Movement, I start a yearly review of my life, with the goal keeping myself accountable for living my absolute BEST life, and perhaps for inspiring you to live yours. If I’ve listed anything that was previously documented, or anything that I personally endorse because I like it (not because I’m paid to), I’ve included the link.

This year, I finally pulled the trigger on traveling with nursing, specializing in Vascular Access. I accessed around 1300 veins. I learned lots about planning for long periods away from my mailing address, and maintaining a house that I seldom frequented. I scored a shit ton of points with Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Hilton Honors. I started relentlessly chiseling away at my debt. I made many new friends. I suffered a few atomic heartbreaks. I did some occasional unhealthy coping. I did some meditating. I gave some life coaching. I received some life coaching. I laughed a lot. I loved hard. I paid it forward. I did my best to spread positive vibes and good mojo. I reduced my email inbox from hundreds to less than twenty. I reduced my personal possessions by around thirty percent. I read eleven books. I published nine new blog posts. 

Here’s My Randomly Categorized 2019 Year In Review

Consumed A Lot Of

N.O.-Xplode Legendary Pre-workout.

Ascent Native Fuel Whey Post-workout Recovery. 

Patron. Thank you, Ann. 

Biggest Accomplishment

Pulling the trigger on travel nursing. Thank you, Jordan. 

Favorite Book

The Alchemist. Thank you, Zanne. 

Most Impactful Media Post

“How To Fix A Broken Heart” by Guy Winch on the TED stage.

Something I Tried For The First Time

Cold therapy and meditation as introduced to me on the Tim Ferris Podcast when interviewing Wim Hof. I took only cold showers (as cold as I could get them) the entire month of November, and I took every opportunity I could to meditate outside when the nights were cold. I only considered a cold therapy session successful if I shivered involuntarily, which has been reported to increase the production of brown fat (good) as opposed to white fat (bad). I also did several surf sessions in cold winter water. The results were interesting. 

Something New I Learned

How to surf. A cool local taught us to surf in Jamaica. We didn’t get pictures because we were too enthralled with riding nature. The waves were slow and easy there. I caught many of them. East coast waves are a different beast. The learning continues. But I’m hooked and determined to master them. 

Farthest I Traveled

Great Huts, Portland, Jamaica. Be forewarned, it’s astonishingly breathtaking. And no matter how many showers you take, you’ll be sticky and sweaty the whole time. And there are paid hitmen as big as sanitation trucks. They’re called mosquitos. Despite meticulous anti-bug precautions, I carried back a tropical disease from one of those bloodsucking sons-of-bitches. And I’d do it all over again. Thank you, Maddi-K. 

Most Thrilling Experience (Toss-Up)

Lockdown at work during Hurricane Dorian. Thank you, Tyler and Tara. 

Having a gun pulled on us in traffic on assignment in Macon, GA. Thank you, Dalton and Edwin. 

Most Exhilarating Experience

First time I stood up on a wave. Holy shit. There was something magical about it. I lost all track of time and found myself consumed by the experience. 

Biggest Injury or Illness

Dengue Fever. Fuck your mother, mosquito. 

Most Frequented Restaurant

River City Cafe, Myrtle Beach. SC.

Favorite Lodging

Hilton Garden Inn, Myrtle Beach, SC.  A very special thank you to Mickey, Bobby, Gerunda, Denise, Ann, Katie, Peter and everyone else for making the Hilton much more than just a hotel room during my stays in Myrtle Beach. You guys became part of my extended family during my time there. 

Hardest I Laughed

A gloriously gay friend of mine broke his ankle whilst attempting to skate. Actually, he broke it before he even set a foot onto the rink. Anyway, several weeks after the big break, he sent a few of us close friends pictures of his healing ankle, propped onto the opposite knee, in a group Snap. I glanced at it. It looked much better than the gnarly x-ray I’d seen a few weeks prior. Moments later, another one of the group members mellowly chimed in with “Damn, son, I just saw the schlong. Eww.” Confused, I looked back at the pic and noticed something I hadn’t before: the flesh rocket perched along his thigh, extending damn near to his knee, like some melodious Amazon anaconda sunning himself. I then broke into hysterics. Thank you, Brandon, Zac and Kenny.  

Hardest I Cried

Losing someone I loved dearly, and enduring the aftermath. 

Most Meaningful Conversation

As much as I strive to impact lives, it’s not my job to fix other people, regardless of the nature of our relationship. I must live my own life, and do my best to point the way to what peace and enlightenment I know, having experienced, and recovered from, some very dark times. Whether or not anyone moves to a higher way of being is ultimately up to him or her. This continues to demand some serious letting go on my part. Thank you, Tom and Donna. 

Something I Pondered A Lot

You can swim with the current of your own destiny, or you can be dragged by it. Thank you, Shannon. 

Most Valuable Lesson

Trust your intuition, and have the courage to obey it. We sometimes become so deeply attached to a person or situation that we find ourselves willing to tolerate some terrible shit for the sake of what’s comfortable, even if it’s slowly killing us. We smother and ignore the myriad of red alerts. If your gut is telling you something isn’t right, it probably isn’t. 

What I commit to accomplishing in 2020

Read a book a month, erase all debt with the exception of my one remaining student loan, travel internationally at least once, get rid of every possession that does not actively serve me, become conversational in Spanish, become a proficient surfer, try at least one new body or mind experiment…Write a book. 

🤦🏻‍♂️ Fuck.

I really debated declaring that last one.

Now I’ve said it. I have to do it.

Cheers,

Tripp