Notes from a Blue Bike: Journey On and Live Life with Intention

Home may be where the heart is, but on the open road lie your five senses, and when you return to your heart, you’ll better see, smell, and hear. -Tsh Oxenreider Notes from a Blue Bike

Validation.  We’re doing something right.  A family further along, having lived through our current season of life has given me inspiration to journey on. But now, even more, I know that I need to be careful in my choices.

Yes, forge ahead, follow your heart, just go, but also…stop and think, and as the sub-title suggests live intentionally.

Being intentional, choosing what’s best for my family and each of it’s individual members, takes planning, and that planning takes time.  It’s time well spent though: 

• Time to stop the chatter
• Time to turn off the screens
• Time to take a break from the to-dos…

And really decide, determine and describe our mission.

Notes from a Blue Bike: The Art of Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World, a brand-new book by Tsh Oxenreider (founder of the blog, TheArtofSimple.net) is thoughtfully divided into five main sections: Food, Work, Education, Travel and Entertainment.

Under each of these subheadings, Tsh takes us through her and her family’s personal journey.  From their ex-pat life in Izmir, Turkey, to their busy hometown of Austin, Texas, to their present life in small town Bend, Oregon (and many adventures leading up and in-between) the reader gets to catch a glimpse of a family’s charge to live life a little differently than the typical American way.

What’s so special about this journey though is that it’s not just a play-by-play of what this family of five did and what they saw.  Notes from a Blue Bike is more than that.  I felt like I was riding tandem with Tsh, sharing those experiences right along with her, letting the words inspire me.

It’s not only a memoir, not only a travelogue, and certainly not just a simple how-to, but an inspirational learning adventure.  Notes from a Blue Bike is a book you’ll most likely read quickly.  I myself couldn’t get enough, but after finishing, I find myself going back to review, study and dive deeper into specific sections again and again.

Naturally, the travel portion of the book resonated with me the most.  Connected to her desire to show her three kids the world, I appreciate Tsh’s emphasis that travel isn’t just about some grand international adventure overseas, however she does insist that we all leave our home country at least once.

Travel also isn’t about the number of days gone (though the more the better in my book), or where you go (just make sure you plan what’s right for you and your family), but rather the undivided time spent with your people sharing, learning, and growing together.

To learn more about Notes from a Blue Bike: The Art of Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World, you can visit the book’s website (notesfrombluebike.com) where you’ll find videos, inspiration, and information on Tsh’s family book tour.

Disclaimer: While I was provided with a digital copy of the book for purposes of sharing and review and all thoughts and opinions are my own, I was so delighted with Tsh’s words that I had to order my very own physical copy. 

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