26.years.of.travel.
Today I’m celebrating 26 years since I discovered travel. Seven continents, 128 countries, and 3 passports later (plus one temporary emergency passport and a few different hairstyles later), here are some of the things that I’m most grateful for:
- a globe full of the most amazing friends that a girl could have. (yes, this includes you)
- exposure to a world full of cultures that has taught me that my culture is not the center of the world.
- the ability to close my eyes and transport myself almost anywhere
- having a passport that gives me freedom to travel most places
- the wisdom to understand that not everyone has these freedoms
- experiences that have challenged the idealism for a better world that I started with
- faith to hang on to a sliver of idealism anyway
- the opportunity to stay awhile in places and get to know the pineapple sellers
- my profound gift of charades to build these relationships and compensate for my inability to become fluent in any language
- the resiliency I learned by watching individuals overcome conflicts, disasters, and life shattering circumstances
- an international community that supported me when I needed to learn how to practice resiliency myself
- mountains climbed, seas swam, cities explored, deserts crossed, all the experiences had
- good health that lets me keep going
- the Thai healthcare system that provides the healthcare to me that my US insurance doesn’t
- the most amazing travel companions
- learning to love traveling by myself
- a renewed appreciation for home
- learning the skill to build a home anywhere with a teacup and carry on
- the ability to remember that clean water, bathtubs, spinach, strawberries and good coffee are a gift.
- recognizing my privilege
- grace to understand that I’ll always have to be learning more.
- a career that supports (and enables) my wanderlust
- that I got to travel before cell phones and can read a map and a compass
- the magic of airline miles
- that I’m not finished yet (I easily have another 25 or more solid years of travel to go)
- 200 million photos that someday–when I’m 100– I might have time to look at.
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