On the Threshold of Adventure

There’s a moment—right before a journey begins—that feels like standing with one

in your everyday life and the other on the edge of something bigger. That’s where Jen and I are this morning. Passport in hand. Bags zipped. Camera charged. Dog checklist laminated. Coffee brewed. The launch pad is set.

We’re still on the ground, but mentally we’ve already left. We’re in that liminal space Jimmy Buffett described so perfectly in his 2002 song “Far Side of the World”: “On the threshold of adventure, God, I do love this job so.”

Today we’re heading for Japan—literally the far side of the world. There’s something surreal about knowing that, in a matter of hours, we’ll be hurtling through the sky, trading familiar landscapes for bullet trains, ramen counters, shrines, neon, and humidity you can chew.

And yes, we were upgraded to Business Class, which feels a bit like Buffett’s version of being “awakened by a stewardess with Spain somewhere below.” Except in our case, it's lie-flat seats, pre-takeoff champagne, and miso soup at 35,000 feet.

In truth, part of this trip is about stepping away. A reset. A break from the nonstop buzz of headlines, noise, and the daily circus back home. As Buffett put it back in 2002: “I ran away from politics, it’s too bizarre at home.

Somehow, that line feels more relevant now than ever.

The plans are made. The checklists are checked. And, metaphorically speaking, our sleeping bags and battle flags are coiled and furled—ready to be unrolled when the moment calls for it. Adventure doesn’t always look like a desert caravan, but the spirit’s the same.

We don’t have every detail planned—and that’s kind of the point. Buffett understood that too: “There are jobs and chores and questions and plates I need to twirl / But tonight I’ll take my chances on the far side of the world.”

That line hits differently when you're flying 6,000 miles away. The plates will be waiting when we get back. But for now, we get to step out, breathe deep, and take our chances.

This trip is, in many ways, a tribute to the worldview I inherited from fellow sailor Jimmy Buffett. His music has always reminded me to step outside the grind, follow the songline, and chase the kind of story that only unfolds when you let go of the itinerary.

Thanks for following along as we chase some new stories, sweat through some unfamiliar cities, and try to remember enough Japanese to find the nearest convenience store, and maybe, just maybe, pull off our own little Peanut Butter Conspiracy along the way.

Adventure begins today.

We're off to take our chances on the far side of the world.

東京へ来ました。

Tokyo, here we come