Wanderlust

… a word that keeps passing me by.  I’ve seen it lately everywhere I go.  Not sure why, but it peaks my interest and has me wondering and questioning life.  Perhaps because somewhere in the depth of who I am I connect with it.  I traveled a lot as a child bouncing around from country to country, crossing borders into worlds that  my own children may never even see.  My dad worked for Ford, and South and Central America as well as the Carribean were his “customers”.  I have walked the thick floors of the jungles in Panama, breathed in the crisp air atop the mountains in Costa Rica, swam in the clear blue waters of Curacao,  and danced to the drumming beats in Trinidad & Tobago during Festival.   By the time I was 12 years old, I had traveled to more countries than I had fingers and toes.  I spoke 3 different languages and traveling was a huge part of who I was.

And now, as I am on the cusp of turning another decade older, I find my life opposite from those wanderlusting days.  I happened to marry a man who I love very much, but is firmly rooted here in Michigan.  In Taylor, Michigan to be exact.  A place that I have learned to embrace and call home for myself and my family but also a place that couldn’t be more mundane than the places that I traveled as a child.  I’ve struggled over the past 13 years in my marriage to push him outside of his own comfort zone and see the world, to no avail.  He is so happy where he is.  It’s his comfort zone.  He thrives here.  And I’ve learned to be ok with that.  After all, the thing I love most about my life is who I share it with.  But this still has me itching to see so much more in the world that is beyond … here.

A few days ago, I stumbled across this blog.  I don’t remember how or where and none of that is relevant anyways.  But this story of a young, passionate family has drawn me in and fascinated me more than any penned fictionary love story ever could.  Their real life story is of two young lovers, photographers, parents, gypsies.  I’ve read every single word in the past two days.  Her writing is so beautiful, and I am enamored by their journeys.  So many of her words, his photographs inspire me deeply.  Still not sure how I plan to channel this inspiration, but surely I will know in time.   But today, I just wanted to share.  Their story is truly beautiful.