Wanderlust

Good afternoon Reader, I hope you've had a nice Thursday so far.  I've always liked Thursdays--I spent about two hours almost every Thursday for 8 years as a martial arts student and assistant instructor.  I just think Thursdays are good in general.

I have worn the self-imposed mental label of malcontent for a very long time now.  I am not so sure I was right when I gave myself the label, but so far, this summer has involved long stretches of discontented solitude punctuated by periods of absolutely lovely chaos.  Ultmately, it will go down as the summer of travel and wanderlust. Wanderlust, by the way, is a strong, innate desire to rove or travel about. I've seen and understood the phenomenon in other people, but this is the first time I remember it being so tangible in myself.

I rarely travel.  I've been lucky enough to travel all over Minnesota, but my extended family is so centralized here that we have little reason to travel out of state other than for traveling's sake alone--which we never do. (Oh, and I actually despise living out of a suitcase, but have discovered it's a non-issue if you're with the right people.)  My recent adventures to Iowa for MBLGTACC '12 and all over the south for the National Youth Gathering coupled with the fact that I've been glued to the Olympics has sparked in me wanderlust like no other.  Not to mention that the National Youth Gathering will be in Detroit in 2015--I hope to go if I am able, and MBLGTACC '13 is in Lansing, Michigan.  I've been considering forming my second semester schedule in a way that makes it most convenient for me. :P

I leave in two days for another adventure, this time it's a week long semi-working vacation as I tag along to a camp in the northern part of North Dakota. I need to decide whether or not I want to work there next summer, and my parents have taken that as meaning I'd be moving out once and for all.  A very rational conclusion, but intimidating all the same.

All this recent pounding of pavement has served to define my traveling likes and dislikes.  I've decided I much prefer travel by road vs. air.  Planes are fun, but it's far too Point A and Point B for me.  It really negates that all-important line segment in the middle.  It cuts down on the potential of the journey. Plus I like to drive. :P When I think about it, the superficial demarcation lines on a map serve as a mental barrier.  To me, Louisiana  felt worlds and worlds away, but as I was on the roads, I realized that while I was seeing landscapes and cultures shift, I was never seeing any sort of severing of a connection.  There is no giant line in the sand separating us completely.  The only real barrier I now feel between me and anywhere else, is time.  I've heard it's a Midwestern thing to measure distance in time. I'm two and half hours from the Fargo-Moorhead area, The Twin Cities are about an hour away from where I live, etc.  I feel like the means to go somewhere is rarely what holds us back--the real problem involves time.  Give me enough time and I'll be able to get anywhere...  And I guess from now on I'll be trying to listen to the part of me asking for that time.

Wanderlust or not, this influx of travel has been epic and I hope it continues.

Be well and be lovely,

Megan