As I prepare to embark on my next journey, I thought now would be the best time to introduce "Soli" as he will be joining me for this trip and the many to come in the future.
In the seven weeks or so since I started my blog, I've received numerous suggestions on how I could get the word out, attract my readers and "grow my business." While I have never thought of this as a potential business per say, it has been rewarding to receive the support and positive feedback from my friends and readers. It has been therapeutic for me to write about all of the stories I've told for years after I've returned home from a trip allowing me to relive those experiences once again. It has provided me with the motivation to keep this little project, as I like to call it, going.
So, when a friend suggested several weeks ago that I should find an item that I could take with me on my trips, it became an idea that took off in my head. I've always loved to take pictures while I've been on my trips; later scrapbooking them into beautiful albums that now occupy tables and bookshelves in my home. As the age of social media took off, it became fun to share the pictures of my travels as they were happening through platforms like Facebook and later Instagram. This item could be something to add to my pictures as I traveled around the world. She suggested I create an Instagram account featuring this item as it traveled around the world with me and ultimately find more followers. She said, "you'll become an 'influencer,'" to which I laughed at the thought. While I still have no yearnings to make this a business, or become an 'influencer,' (Seriously, I had to actually look it up), I loved the idea of taking something with me as I continue on my travels to make the pictures I take a little more fun.
I immediately knew what I was looking for. Something that would represent some of my other loves; my feline children, Jack and Grayson, yoga and wine. It didn't take long to find something that tied in two of those things; a small wooden cat in a yoga pose. I mean, let's be real, I wasn't going to travel with the same bottle of wine everywhere I went, right? Those that know me, know I travel light; carry-on only! And who carries around a bottle of wine without the intent to eventually drink it! Although he's not small enough to fit in my pocket, he's only 5 1/2 inches tall and weighs less than a pound, so my packing habits are safe!
BUT the perfect little wooden travel companion needed a name! So, I threw it out to my Facebook friends for suggestions and while I had many, none of them seemed perfect. You know that feeling you get when you know without a doubt that is it, right? But seriously, I'm naming a cute wooden cat, it shouldn't be that hard. Then it came to me, when a friend sent me a post through Pinterest. While I don't think it was her intent to send it as a suggestion for a name for my little wooden cat, I finally had that "this is it" feeling.
The word "Solivagant" seemed like a bit of a mouthful, so I decided to shorten it to "Soli," which, of course, sounds like a take-off of "solo."
Since Soli arrived at my home, he's taken residence on the TV stand between two candles in my living room as he awaits his first trip. While I know the location of my next trip promises to be very colorful and picturesque, Soli will be featured in some of those photos. As per usual, I won't disclose where we're going until I get there (unless you are one of the lucky ones to already know), so you'll just have to wait to find out "where in the world is Soli?"
Follow Soli on Instagram Since several people have told me Instagram is "where it's at" in terms of gaining followers, with my upcoming trip, I will also debut an Instagram account for Soli and this blog If Only My Suitcase Could Talk. It's already up, so if you're on Instagram and want to see where Soli and I end up next, look it up and follow us! And who knows, I might become an "influencer" yet.
"Oh, the places you will go." Dr. Seuss