Most people who know me would likely say that I am generally a pleasant, well-balanced individual who seems composed and happy most of the time. And they would be correct in their assessment. But much like social media, what you see is oftentimes a curated version of someone’s actual life. Sometimes, beneath that veneer is a bit of a rough surface.

I will preface this by saying that I have a very good life. I would dare say even a blessed life. My home life is great; mine and Isabelle’s relationship is strong. We complement one another beautifully and have lots of fun together in life. Although we are currently living in a rented townhouse, it is partly by choice. It gives us some flexibility and lets us travel a bit more.

My family all live nearby. Within a 15 minute drive, I can see my brother and his wife, my mother, my in-laws, many of my uncles and aunts and cousins. My family is (largely) drama-free; we all get along and enjoy each other’s company.

I have a job that I (mostly) enjoy that pays me well. Add to that the ability to work from home and a lot of freedom and flexibility in my day-to-day, and you’ve got a situation many people would love to have.

I am comfortable in a financial sense. I am able to travel and see the world. I am able to regularly have meals out on the town with my wife. We have a few big trips in the pipeline over the next year or two that we are looking forward to doing.

Yet despite all of these positives in my life, I am feeling as though there is something missing. I cannot pinpoint what that something is however. I feel like I’ve spent the last few years putting the pieces of a glorious puzzle together, only to discover that there are a couple of pieces missing from the box. And it’s frustrating to me.

I have no logical reason to feel like things aren’t complete. I have my giant list of gratitudes that I am thankful for every single day. I recognize how blessed and beautiful my life is.

I’ve told my wife recently that I feel like the only time I’m truly feeling complete is when we are traveling. Unfortunately, despite all of the positives I mentioned above, I am not in the position to travel more. I only have so many vacation days at work; while comfortable financially, I don’t have the kind of disposable income to allow me to just travel all of the time. Plus, I can’t stand to leave my little fur-baby, Roxie, for too long either.

So what does one do? I’m trying to find ways of bringing more travel fun into my life. Tomorrow, I will embark on a quick little day trip. Saturday, I’ll do the same as I head to Halifax to pick up my wife at the airport on Sunday morning. It might just be a couple of Band-Aids for now, but at least it’s something.

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And you, dear reader – do you sometimes feel like you’ve got a piece of the puzzle missing in your life? What do you do to work through it? What piece of the puzzle is (or was) missing in your life? Share your thoughts… I can use them!