Dear Friends,
I’d like to begin by offering my sincere apologies for the lengthy, yet unintentional, hiatus. I was truly embarrassed when I realized that my last post was dated January 5th. As much as I would love to explain away my absence with a dramatic story of terrible circumstances or some such thing, I cannot. The truth is that I have simply fallen victim to being human, allowing all of the events in my life to take over my time and attention. Between diving into home renovations, college graduation, and working, I’ve also been wrestling with a few external stressors, to which I know everyone can relate. And I’ll admit that I’m a bit irritated with myself for not prioritizing myself better and making time to pursue my passions.
Then, one day recently, I bought this journal on a whim at the grocery store because I was drawn to the cover design. The graphic caught my eye, as did the title. Both speak to my love of nature and my sense of adventure, not to mention my desire to travel. In fact, the word means “a great desire to travel and rove about”. I think it’s appropriate. Maybe it’s my word. I’ve always loved adventure and I want to travel more, in the physical sense, but I’ve come to embrace the notion that life itself is a journey too. Even the goals we set for ourselves cause us to embark on a pilgrimage of some kind – spiritual, emotional, physical, or otherwise – and if we can persevere, we discover things about ourselves, others, and our lives that change us and how we choose to live. Some parts of the process may not be pleasant, some will challenge our beliefs or ideals, and others will push us to our limits, possibly to our breaking points. But ultimately, if we can somehow manage to survive the obstacles, we will be stronger, wiser, and better for it. I mean, haven’t my own struggles led me to my greatest joys? The heartache of infertility took us on a path we never expected and our reward is three wonderful children. Enduring my teaching years was rather excruciating and damaging, but doing so allowed us to put our kids through college without drowning them in debt. My health scare in 2019, coupled with battling symptoms of perimenopause, led me on a path to wellness, which turned into a new career opportunity. And I couldn’t be happier.
So “wanderlust” has some new meaning for me. It’s not just the desire to travel, but the aspiration to explore and grow as a person, to find out more about myself, who I truly am, and what I really want. And I just realized (duh!) that the introduction to this very website asks, “Where will your journey take you?” To answer this question honestly, I’d have to say that I have no idea. But I suppose that’s part of the adventure, isn’t it? We set a goal – a destination, if you will – and work toward that. The one thing I’ve learned so far, however, is that the road isn’t always a straight line from A to B. And if I know myself well enough to admit it, my roads always seem to involve some curves. Some of them come out of the blue, and sometimes I create them. And the more I think about it, the more I wonder if we ever really, truly make it to our destinations. Maybe they’re just pitstops and diversions we encounter on the way to somewhere else, always traveling, always changing, always learning.
In an effort to embrace this new word, I hope to seek out and explore new things and ideas, learn from them, and share them with you. Where this leads, I do not know, but I’m willing to see what happens. I’m open to the possibilities. I have some ideas that have been brewing for quite a while and now I feel that it’s time to bring them to fruition. I hope you’ll join me.
Wholeness Health and YOU! 