“The person susceptible to “wanderlust” is not so much addicted to movement as committed to transformation.” ~ Pico Iyer
After going to the New York Times Travel Show this past weekend with my travel-loving pal, Jeff, those familiar pangs of wanderlust started acting up. We made our way to the Africa section of the show first and I immediately started to dream of those far-flung places that are still wild and free and untouched by our relentless pursuit of everything bigger, better, and faster. I’m certain that at some point in my life, Africa will be called home for a while. Somehow I think that time is coming sooner rather than later, and that made me wonder if I’m running away from something or toward something. Am I still Peter Pan?
And though the answer to that last question is a decisive, “Yes,” Pico Iyer’s quote made me feel better. I’m not longing for travel because I can’t sit still or I’m afraid of what will arise if I sit still or I have commitment issues. Travel for me means breaking out of our old habits and patterns, it means learning of the highest order, and it means coming to terms with the idea that all of us, all living things regardless of form, are really united into one beautiful, intricate dance called life. It literally forces us to transform, to change shape, inside and out.
The inescapable truth is that though we crave our independence we are all inextricably linked; we are all in this together. In our every day lives we can set this idea aside, narrow our focus, and be concerned with the life that has us at its center. When we travel, we have to let go and see not our reality, but the world’s.
Get out there – there’s so much to explore.
Christa Avampato 