wan·der·lust
[won-der-luhst] –noun
a strong, innate desire to rove or travel about
I guess I take after my dad. He is a long haul truck driver. He’s happy as a clam in sand on the road. He loves to travel. Growing up, we were rarely in a place long. First it was military and then it was construction. I lived in Hawaii as a toddler, moved back to NC and went to elementary school here. We left when I was in the 1st grade to move to Colorado and I spent the rest of my 1st grade year, living in an RV with my parents & sister. I’m not sure when we moved to GA but I remember living at a camp ground during that summer. My 4th grade year, I spent the summer in TX.
My soul aches to travel. Some places I just love going to over and over again. I could go to Key West any time of the year. My soul feels at peace there. I also dig Vegas. It’s the bright lights, thousands of tourists, the sound of Vegas and that excitement of “what if I hit big?”
Give me an ocean and I’m happy. Hell, give me a lake to look at and I won’t complain about that either.
Last year was a blur. I spent it healing my heart from my mother’s death. Key West in August with my dear friend Amy was the exact closure I needed. My mom sent the weather gods our way and it was a beautiful trip.
As I rolled into 2011, I vowed to keep my soul happy. Doing things that I love and traveling is one of them. I’m not sure how I’m going to pay for all my big dreams but I’lm heading to Chicago & Vegas to see one of my favorite bands.
More importantly, I’m heading to Australia at the end of December. I’ve been talking about going for years and there’s always a million and one reasons why I can’t go, but I want to keep my soul happy. I’m going to Australia. I will spend over 15 days “Down Under.” Planning and daydreaming about this trip has made my wanderlust even stronger. I want to cram as much as I can into the time I have there.
I also want to cram 2 more weeks of vacation into my life and plan a trip to my beloved Key West and maybe throw a dart at a map or globe and spend a few days somewhere I’ve never been.
I want my soul to roam the earth and I want to meet the world!
Listening to “Wings” by Jimmy Buffett