Before I could chase a dream that seemed impossible, I had to first create a way out of the life I had found myself in.
The dream of my bike ride required more than desire. It required discipline, money, and a willingness to endure something incredibly difficult. Becoming a truck driver was never meant to be my destination. It was a necessary sacrifice – a tough and demanding chapter I had to live through to reach the next one.
Ultimately, the motivation to become a truck driver was to finance the Arctic-to-Argentina dream. This was never meant to be a long-term career. Get in, make the money, and get out.
In January of 2013, during my truck training course, I attended a large birthday function for my grandfather, John Voortman of Oakrun Fam Bakery. At the party, he grabbed me by the arm and dragged me to the head table, instructing me to ask my great-uncle Harry of Voortman Cookies for a driving job.
The thing was, I knew my great-uncle’s desire would be to have me commit the rest of my life to his company. Their corporate office has more plaques than a person can count, with hundreds of names of employees who have worked for Voortman Cookies for 25 years or longer. I didn’t want my name on a plaque. This wasn’t a career move; it was a means to an end. Taking the job under false pretences, even if it was a golden opportunity, would have meant misleading him. If I couldn’t genuinely commit, I had no business accepting the offer in the first place.
So instead, I told him about my bike ride dream. Later that evening, my grandfather asked me if I got the job. I told him I never even bothered to ask. He looked at me like I was nuts.
Later that week, my mother called me to tell me my great-uncle was looking for me, insistent that I take the job. Generally, it can be difficult for a newly licensed driver to find employment with no experience. I thought, if someone is trying this hard to give me a job, I should take it. Little did I know what I was getting myself into.
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This is a small section from chapter 1 of my upcoming memoir documenting the decisions, sacrifices, failures, and unexpected moments that eventually led me from Canada to building a life in the Belize jungle.
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