All my life I have wanted to travel, my home has always been whereever I lay my head. It is no secret to those who know me that I sleep more soundly in places that are strange to me than in places I know so well.
I have always been a drifter, I just never had the means to drift very far. Rather than being that gust of wind that plays among the trees, I am instead that slight breeze that may or may not have been imagined.
Travelling around was always just a dream, a musing, a mere whim that I never really considered to be possible, it always seemed so far out of reach. It was a desire I could push to one side, distracting myself with books, and sketching and music.
But now, I have the travelling bug.
No longer do I push the dreams away, nor do I think I could – should I even wish to try. The desire that for so many years has been contained is now loosening the bolts on its cage.
So I hear you ask, what has brought about this change, well, I was recently fortunate enough to become involved with a youth group for which I am an instructor. Every year the group leader organises a trip to South Africa for a few weeks and now it is my job to accompany them every year, I become mentor, mother and friend to those in my care. This is a responsibility which I relish for it gives me an excuse to leave my mundane existence behind and taste life – if just for a few weeks a year.
Having spent 19 days driving, hiking, wandering and sleeping under the stars in South Africa and Mozambique I am awake. For the first time, I have opened my eyes to the possibilities that lay out in the world, beckoning me.
All that is keeping me from reaching out and grabbing them is the deficit lingering on my credit card.
However I cannot wait until the next time I fly out. Rather than it being a hindrance I am even relishing the thought of the eleven hour flight during which I can cast off my normal self and become instead who I really am, who I only seem to be in Africa, my newest home.
So here’s to this new blog, may it encourage me to have many new adventures.
