Traveling the world is, well, romanticized !!
All the ‘highs’ of traveling life are shared.! The pictures posted are perfect! The stories shared are just the highlights! The food is amazing!
What is not shared…the ‘lows’ of traveling life. Decisions, like how to travel from A to B, where to go, eat, sleep. Fun right! But it isn’t as simple as it seems. Anxiety and loneliness. The days you long for the familiarity of your home country. Not having the time to sit and chat face-to-face with those closest to you. Missing your children and grand-babies, missing out on exciting life moments, the silence. The loudness that comes with silence!
Yes! There are moments where I find myself doing the happy dance, giggling like a schoolgirl and days where the lost, overwhelmed tears flow. And there comes a point where travels become the norm. Normal Life, same stuff, different place. In a sense… Traveling fatigued.
As I explore different countries, towns, cultures, there are always new and exciting things! Amazing interactions, yummy foods, beautiful sites. There is a wow factor that goes along with each and every day, that I don’t ever want to end. There is also a feeling like I have seen it all, days become less exciting. Perhaps this season of traveling life has come to an end.
This creates conflicting feelings, tough decisions. How does one make that concrete decision that goes with booking a return flight? Am I ready to end this chapter? Am I ready to stop traveling? Am I ready to return to Canada? When is the right day to make my way back to Canada? Will there ever be a perfect day, or do I just pick a day and roll with it?!
It brings up so many thoughts and emotions…what will it be like when I return? Is it going to create a feeling of culture shock in the reverse. Am I going to be ‘homesick’ for the nomadic backpackers life? Will I ever get the opportunity again?
What will life look like, can I happily jump back into the western ways, can I live in the western world with the eastern approach to life?
Perhaps it will be the best feeling in the world to be back, the familiarity of my home country. Ah, the face-to-face conversations! Many hugs, laughter, and tears after so much time apart.
There is a big part of me that is excited, ready to create a community, reconnect with my children, grand-babies, family, and all my peeps. Am I ready to close this chapter, freedom, flexibility, endless experiences…
I think!
Well, there is only one way to find out I suppose!!!!
*picture captured in the air