Wanderlust Katie

I have thought about this word frequently in the last six months and feel that it is in my bones.  I feel at home on the road, traveling and in general in an unknown state.  I mean yes there is a fear to that last part but overall I have always been a free spirit.  The idea of owning a home makes me feel uneasy but my excitement for being in nature is especially strong.  Wanderlust is a perfect term for me.  German in meaning Wandern “to wander” and Lust “desire” encapsulates what I can not explain.  There are many people who are afflicted by the desire to see the world, travel and explore.  I have not always been this way, I was leery as a child but something changed for me when I was 17 and went to Europe.  I saw castles on the banks of the Rhine River in the Black Forest of Germany, went to cafes in Switzerland and the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris; walked the grand halls of Versailles palace and stood in the home of William Shakespeare.  I never thought that I could do this.  Growing up middle class and well aware that at anytime you could be poor, you think that it is impossible to do much.  I thought my life was determined and was limited to my social status.

Well I am here to tell you, dear reader, that anything you dream can come true if you go forth and try.  I moved here with little more than a few precious things and a box full of books, my camping gear and clothes.  In my 13 years here I have met some wonderful people and made a family of my friends.  We have scattered to other places and I am still here for now but the wanderlust spirit in me is awakening again.  She is telling me that it is time to seek out new adventures and beautiful views.  To fall in the love with sunsets again and wake to the sunrise of a new day, untainted by the words of the world, quietly waiting for me to push forth and explore.  I am hungry to wake up in a strange city and try new foods, meet new people and make new friends.

So I will plan and save and until then visit family and familiarity with new eyes, ready to see the beauty in the ordinary.  I encourage you all to dare to dream and go toward the edge of comfort and look over…into the unknown.

xo

katie