Admittedly, I'm feeling a bit guilty for my lack of blogging. But I'm happy to report that there is a valid reason for my lapse....that I've been traveling so much that I haven't had a spare moment to write.
When I dreamt up this journey I wrote out my large goal of seeing 9 cities in one year, but my crazy adventure has lead me on to double that. Since January I've been in Los Angeles, D.C. (twice), Asheville, London and Lincoln (England), Horten and Oslo (Norway), New York, Miami, and Minneapolis and West Union (Iowa) in a few weeks.
I've melted into a lifestyle that I could only have imagined a shadow of on the front end. At this very moment I should be packing my bag for a flight tomorrow, but inspiration always strikes at the most inconvenient times.
My largest observation is not so much regarding travel, but regarding the dream. Six months in, I'm starting to see that maybe I dreamt too small. But there was no way to know that until I did the one thing that was in my heart. I've been opened to so many spaces, foods, languages, people, and instead of quenching desire, it has inflamed it. Very quickly I've learned to sleep anywhere, put anything in my mouth, and that with even the best planning, you can end up on a train platform in the middle nowhere....in a different country. Oh, and that it's absolutely essential to have an excellent sense of humor when traveling, knowing that it will at least make a good story in the end. There is big world to see, and I fully intend on seeing as much of it as I possibly can in one lifetime.
It's so easy to envision success in America as owning a house, car, husband, child, and dog. This "ideal" has always made me uncomfortable, but I assumed one day I would wake up and want those things. I mean, I could definitely go for a sexy car, but the rest is a juxtaposition to my innate need to be wild and free.
In 2011 it's amazing to me to imagine that my community of friends does not actually have to live in the same place. With the variety of technology from facebook to airplane rides, I'm minutes away from connection with another human being. Sometimes it's quicker to hop on flight than it is to sit in traffic. I've mostly enjoyed the concentrated time I've been able to spend with people, being 100% present because I don't have the distraction of a job, bills, and emails. And it's challenged me to reframe my priorities when I'm back in the city where I currently reside. I'm redefining success. Who knew the simplicity of a life out of backpack could be so exponentially fulfilling?!
So I may or may not get to the rest of this blog, because I have truly run away. Ahead is Montreal, Miami, New Orleans, Amsterdam, Nuremberg, Stockholm, and whatever else pops up this year. I'm open. And I hope to meet you there!
p.s. I am working on a flickr page to share photos, since a picture is worth a thousand words....
