As the title and description at the top of my blog states, Wanderlust means an intense desire to travel or explore. Wanderlust is the feeling you get that inspires you to fill up the gas tank, hop in the car, and get lost on purpose. Take roads you don't know, and don't attempt to remember the way back.
Wanderlust is a feeling I lived most of my life without. I spent the first 20 years of my life scared, uptight, and afraid to go anywhere new because I was sure I would get lost on the way. When I met my husband, he taught me that getting lost is one of the most exciting things you can do in life. One day early in the relationship, he announced to me that we were "going for a drive". I said, "Where?" to which he replied, "I don't know."
We got in the car, drove away, and spent the evening turning onto roads we never traveled before, just to see where they took us. Eventually we got far enough from home that all the roads were new to us. We took turns at every intersection deciding whether to turn left, right, or go straight. We stopped at every place that interested us: gas stations, stores, and random spots along the road. It was the first time I truly embraced spontaneity and I wanted more. That was the day a new part of myself was born. Suddenly my life became a journey to see and do everything possible. I was more happy than I had ever been. There is nothing as liberating as heading to an unknown destination with no worries or time constraints. There is so much out there to discover when you make time to waste time.
Every weekend we spent too much money and as much time as possible taking trips to nowhere and laughing and talking the whole way. I took thousands of pictures because I didn't want to forget a single second of our exciting trips. During the prime of our Wanderlust days we got to see almost all of our home state, Pennsylvania. We saw Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Erie, Scranton, and almost every town in between. It got to the point where we couldn't get lost in Pennsylvania anymore because we got to know all the major roads and highways and where they would take us. So we branched out and our trips took us to New York, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Kentucky. We didn't get to do much in some of those states other than grab a map from a convenience store and drive around for a bit before heading home. But we have seen some really amazing things.
Of course all good things must come to an end- or at least a pause. When Eric got laid off from his job things got a lot more difficult financially, and then I became pregnant. After our son was born we visited my Mom in Tennessee a few times so she could get to know her grandson. Since Eric was having trouble finding another job in Pennsylvania he applied for some jobs in Tennessee while we were there. A few jobs contacted him and made him offers and he accepted. It was hard leaving Pennsylvania, but we were confident we would be happy in our new home. After all, there were so many new places to explore and experience in the south!
We weren't expecting it, but moving to Tennessee immediately ended our Wanderlust days. During the time we lived in Tennessee, we didn't explore or experience anything at all. Money was too tight to go anywhere or do anything together. It was extremely rare when we were able to even get out of the apartment to do anything at all, and completely impossible to take one of our trips. The worst part about living in Tennessee was that we were lonely. We missed our friends and family in Pennsylvania more than we thought we would. To sum it all up: Our little family was not thriving in Tennessee. Having more money would have made things a little better, but it wouldn't have changed the fact that we didn't belong there. With money we could have done more things, taken some trips, but our adventures wouldn't have felt quite right if they didn't somehow start and end in Pennsylvania. No matter which way you slice it, Pennsylvania is and always will be our home. After a year of living in Tennessee we made the decision to move back home. It seemed like a very sudden decision. It probably surprised many people, but the decision was something Eric and I were tossing around for several months. We knew it would be hard physically and financially to arrange a move back to Pennsylvania, but we didn't want to stay stuck in Tennessee.
I'll never forget the moment I saw the "Welcome to Pennsylvania" sign on the way back. An involuntary smile popped onto my face as soon as the sign came into view. I was flooded with waves of emotion and relief that we were finally home.
Although we haven't had the money to go on any trips since we've been back, we'll eventually get to go on some trips again, and we can't wait. We have had a tremendous amount of support and love from our friends and family which have made the move worth it. Our son is doing great since the move back. I was worried that he would have trouble adjusting to so many new people, but it's just the opposite. He loves meeting new people. He's also eating more than we ever thought his little body could handle, learning, and smiling all the time.
I'm sad that I lost the Wanderlust side of myself for a year while we were in Tennessee, but I'm determined to never forget it again. It's who I am. Our Wanderlust days are part of the reason Eric and I have such a strong relationship. Our trips helped build the foundation for our marriage. Our bond was strengthened every single time we we shared the joy and wonder of turning down an unfamiliar road. Eric is truly my best friend. We share everything together every day, and there's nothing in life that I'd prefer to experience alone rather than with him.
I don't regret our time in Tennessee because it taught me the value of home, and where home really is to me. Perhaps Home and Wanderlust are conflicting terms, since Wanderlust describes the urge to leave Home to explore the world. But I believe Wanderlust and Home will coexist happily in my life from now on.
Wanderlust is a feeling I lived most of my life without. I spent the first 20 years of my life scared, uptight, and afraid to go anywhere new because I was sure I would get lost on the way. When I met my husband, he taught me that getting lost is one of the most exciting things you can do in life. One day early in the relationship, he announced to me that we were "going for a drive". I said, "Where?" to which he replied, "I don't know."
We got in the car, drove away, and spent the evening turning onto roads we never traveled before, just to see where they took us. Eventually we got far enough from home that all the roads were new to us. We took turns at every intersection deciding whether to turn left, right, or go straight. We stopped at every place that interested us: gas stations, stores, and random spots along the road. It was the first time I truly embraced spontaneity and I wanted more. That was the day a new part of myself was born. Suddenly my life became a journey to see and do everything possible. I was more happy than I had ever been. There is nothing as liberating as heading to an unknown destination with no worries or time constraints. There is so much out there to discover when you make time to waste time.
Every weekend we spent too much money and as much time as possible taking trips to nowhere and laughing and talking the whole way. I took thousands of pictures because I didn't want to forget a single second of our exciting trips. During the prime of our Wanderlust days we got to see almost all of our home state, Pennsylvania. We saw Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Erie, Scranton, and almost every town in between. It got to the point where we couldn't get lost in Pennsylvania anymore because we got to know all the major roads and highways and where they would take us. So we branched out and our trips took us to New York, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Kentucky. We didn't get to do much in some of those states other than grab a map from a convenience store and drive around for a bit before heading home. But we have seen some really amazing things.
Of course all good things must come to an end- or at least a pause. When Eric got laid off from his job things got a lot more difficult financially, and then I became pregnant. After our son was born we visited my Mom in Tennessee a few times so she could get to know her grandson. Since Eric was having trouble finding another job in Pennsylvania he applied for some jobs in Tennessee while we were there. A few jobs contacted him and made him offers and he accepted. It was hard leaving Pennsylvania, but we were confident we would be happy in our new home. After all, there were so many new places to explore and experience in the south!
We weren't expecting it, but moving to Tennessee immediately ended our Wanderlust days. During the time we lived in Tennessee, we didn't explore or experience anything at all. Money was too tight to go anywhere or do anything together. It was extremely rare when we were able to even get out of the apartment to do anything at all, and completely impossible to take one of our trips. The worst part about living in Tennessee was that we were lonely. We missed our friends and family in Pennsylvania more than we thought we would. To sum it all up: Our little family was not thriving in Tennessee. Having more money would have made things a little better, but it wouldn't have changed the fact that we didn't belong there. With money we could have done more things, taken some trips, but our adventures wouldn't have felt quite right if they didn't somehow start and end in Pennsylvania. No matter which way you slice it, Pennsylvania is and always will be our home. After a year of living in Tennessee we made the decision to move back home. It seemed like a very sudden decision. It probably surprised many people, but the decision was something Eric and I were tossing around for several months. We knew it would be hard physically and financially to arrange a move back to Pennsylvania, but we didn't want to stay stuck in Tennessee.
I'll never forget the moment I saw the "Welcome to Pennsylvania" sign on the way back. An involuntary smile popped onto my face as soon as the sign came into view. I was flooded with waves of emotion and relief that we were finally home.
Although we haven't had the money to go on any trips since we've been back, we'll eventually get to go on some trips again, and we can't wait. We have had a tremendous amount of support and love from our friends and family which have made the move worth it. Our son is doing great since the move back. I was worried that he would have trouble adjusting to so many new people, but it's just the opposite. He loves meeting new people. He's also eating more than we ever thought his little body could handle, learning, and smiling all the time.
I'm sad that I lost the Wanderlust side of myself for a year while we were in Tennessee, but I'm determined to never forget it again. It's who I am. Our Wanderlust days are part of the reason Eric and I have such a strong relationship. Our trips helped build the foundation for our marriage. Our bond was strengthened every single time we we shared the joy and wonder of turning down an unfamiliar road. Eric is truly my best friend. We share everything together every day, and there's nothing in life that I'd prefer to experience alone rather than with him.
I don't regret our time in Tennessee because it taught me the value of home, and where home really is to me. Perhaps Home and Wanderlust are conflicting terms, since Wanderlust describes the urge to leave Home to explore the world. But I believe Wanderlust and Home will coexist happily in my life from now on.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for stopping by my blog! Feel free to leave a comment- I'd love to hear from you!