The Peak of Potential

I load my surfboard into an old van, ready to leave the hustle of Auckland, New Zealand. I’m twenty-nine years old, gutted by the death of my dog, and still processing the loss of my brother. My mission is to teach in New Zealand, something I’ve always wanted to do but would never have pursued if I had had to leave my dog behind in America. The van, named Lonna, is loaded with food, fly rods, and surfboards. I smile through my tears, turn the key, and pump my fist. There are schools to visit, a job to find, waves to ride, and trout to catch. We lurch forward, navigate the streets of Auckland, and merge onto a highway. <blockquote> I imagine the deserted winding roads ahead and how they will take me where I need to go. </blockquote> Big Head, the yellow lab who picked me to be his dad in New Zealand, pulls me down a grassy aisle. My mom, dad, and sister flank me on either side. Over a hundred friends and family members are here to watch my union to Liz. She’s as beautiful as the snowcapped mountain behind her. I knew I wanted to build a life with Liz the moment I met her, to love like I’ve never loved before. Months later, we received the keys to our first house. I refinish the wood floors, the first of many times I would inhale the dust of our home. She rests her chin on the shiny amber planks, and our eyes meet. The house is empty of furniture, the floor scratch-free, and there is talk of babies. I’m thirty-four and almost done with my <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/without-rain-there-can-be-no-rainbows/id536026665" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">first book, the story of my teaching experience in New Zealand.</a> The pages in our book, however, are still to be written. <a href="https://medium.com/the-memoirist/the-peak-of-potential-4bf21578978">Learn More</a>