Back Home in Brooklyn

Good morning!

I hope this finds you well.

Welcome to another edition of The Matt Viera Newsletter.

The newsletter with the goal to inspire you to invest in life experiences.

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After nearly two months of traveling, I'm back home in Brooklyn (and back in the office).

The last time I published a newsletter article, I was in Wyoming.

That week was incredibly relaxing.

I hiked around the Devil's Tower and drove through the Badlands (both personal favorites).

I continued north into Montana to explore Glacier National Park. In Glacier, I crossed paths with four bears (including a grizzly). And later, in North Dakota, our SUV was surrounded by a herd of about 50 bison.

I managed to capture both encounters on video, which I shared on social media.

To say I was lucky with wildlife encounters during my cross-country road trip is an understatement.

From there, I made the push back to New York City, reflecting on a summer filled with exploration, discovery, and adventure.

Three Lessons Learned

1. Avoid abrupt transitions

Going from a month-long stay in Bologna to a few days in Rome was not ideal.

Rome was vibrant and worth the experience, but after the slow rhythm of Bologna, the chaos (and overtourism) of Rome felt overwhelming.

The lesson: don't follow extended downtime with high-intensity travel.

2. Give yourself space between trips

We wrapped up a five-week mini-retirement in Italy, returned to New York, and two days later launched into a three-week cross-country road trip.

In hindsight, I should've given myself a week at home before embarking on the next adventure.

The lesson: a longer buffer makes the transition smoother.

3. Leave room before returning to work

I returned home on August 31 and was back in the office on September 2.

That quick turnaround left me with unpacked bags and lingering fatigue.

The lesson: a week at home to decompress and reset before returning to the office would have made all the difference.

What's the point of all this?

The point is to emphasize that too often, we push ourselves to maximize time off by filling it to the brim.

But in doing so, we risk missing the very clarity and renewal that time away is meant to provide.

Travel is one of the most rewarding ways to invest time, but without balance, even great experiences can blur together.

Rest and reflection are just as valuable as exploration.

By allowing space before, between, and after big trips, you create room to appreciate each experience more fully.

Don't get me wrong, I had a phenomenal summer.

I am grateful for the time and resources that allowed me to travel as much as I did.

And yes, I'd do it all again (with only a few tweaks).

But the biggest realization is this: none of it would have been possible if I were still practicing law.

That career gave me the title, but it didn't give me the time.

And time (not just for adventure, but also for balance) is an absolute luxury.

Because life isn't just about where you go.

It's about leaving enough space to appreciate it when you get there.

And when you come back home.

Quote that caught my attention:

“I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.”

—Robert Louis Stevenson

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