Traveling always makes me return home a better version of
myself. Adventure clears out the cobwebs
and restores the clarity, the more I explore the more alive I feel. It’s constantly on my mind; where will I get
to go next? How soon can I get there?
But no journey is complete without a home base. Often I’m so focused on getting back to
wandering that my home becomes an after thought, or worse, a burden – it feels
like a dirty, noisy cage of cement and steel, barring me from the wonders that earth
has to offer.
But I’m learning (always, always learning) that the
resentment, that ugly, despondent filter over my city is a choice. It’s a misery I’m imposing on myself and
my world, I’m choosing to see the things I dislike in the foreground, to forget
the gems that made me feel like Los Angeles was the biggest adventure life had
to offer so many years ago. I’m not
saying it isn’t validated to feel claustrophobic at home, it’s a genuine part
of who I am, but I have a great deal more control over it than I have been
exercising for quite some time.
I’m writing this because, after a series of glorious (and
sometimes stressful – hi, broken-down car in the middle of the desert
surrounded by rattlesnakes!) adventures this summer I find myself happily holed
up in La La Land, extraordinarily aware of how content I am to just. be.
home.
We have a big trip planned for November and normally I would
be chomping at the bit to get there, willing time to move faster, focusing all
my energy on the escape…but instead I’m savoring the sounds of my city, the
moments with my fur babies, the day-to-day adventures. I’m choosing to focus on the now and to do so
with as much positivity as I can muster and I have to say, it’s helping me
recognize all the good and potential we are surrounded by in this empire of
endless opportunity.
Does that mean the wanderlust bug won’t bite me anytime
soon? Of course not. There is too much beauty to be experienced
and I want to be a part of it all. But
for now this…this is a very good place to be.
“It’s a funny thing about coming home. Looks the same, smells
the same, feels the same. You realize what has changed is you.”
-- F. Scott
Fitzgerald
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