Today’s guest post is brought to you by Tawanna Browne Smith of Mom’s Guide To Travel. Be sure to visit her blog and follow her on Twitter!

Life is a funny thing. I think we all grow up with ideas or daydreams about what the good life is about. For many of us without the wisdom of experience, we believe the good life is synonymous with ownership or acquisition of things. We equate living the good life with consumeristic and materialistic ideas. We all do it - it’s a human thing.

At some point, those of us who are lucky enough to arrive at a deeper place of consciousness realize that the good life is more than just material things. Sometimes it’s a circumstance, or an adversity, or even something metaphysical that awakens us to a new meaning of life.

I grew up with ideas of what my own good life would be. Those ideas are far removed from what my life is like now but I’m fully aware that everything I have gone through or am currently experiencing is not without reason. I’ve fully subscribed to the fact that God has a plan for me. Having a child battling both leukemia and autism, and a husband facing possible deployment, I still think life is good. Because God is good. Some days are particularly stressful but thankfully, that’s not every day. And I do my best to focus on the moment.

I’m blessed to be able to get paid to travel - it’s a family life and a personal passion. So as much as I try to focus on the moment, when it’s a dark one, I think about the next adventure, the next trip. And when I’m on that trip, I’m there 100%, enjoying that particular moment. Without question, in that space I feel like I’m living a good life. Do I have everything I thought I’d have at this point? No. At the same time, do I have things that I never thought I’d have? Yes. Am I cured of all materialistic aspirations? I wish. But I know life is all about balance and as challenging as it can be, it is still good.