Wanderlust is something I know all too well. My desire to travel is something that takes over my life, the want I have to see the world, it's something I think about daily. But then I have this set back where I'm a homebody. My comfort zone is my home and I haven't always been the best at stepping out from that very small area.
Just the other day, I was at the dinner table with my mom, dad, and brother and the topic came up of, "If you could live anywhere for free where would it be?" My dad said The Keys and my mom said Martha's Vineyard. Both are great places that would be cool to live. Then my brother said Miami, which I thought was strange because of all the places in the world, he chose Miami, where he's visited several times, but the heart wants what it wants, I guess. Then everyone turned and looked at me and while hearing everyone’s answers I couldn’t just pick one place. I said the Amalfi Coast in Italy, which I have visited, or Australia, a place I’ve long wanted to visit, and I realized that I don’t want to just live in one place, I want to live everywhere.
As I was sitting there thinking of all of the places I would want to travel to, to set roots and live a life that, at the moment, seemed real, I then realized that I don’t know how I would be able to leave my home and go somewhere that isn't just a car drive away from everything I know. I go to school 45 minutes away, I’ve never been far away from home; I’ve always stayed pretty close within my comfort zone. But as I grow, I realize that my desire to travel and see all the beauty this world has to offer takes over any desire I’ve ever had. Even though I am a homebody, I’ve never wanted to do something so much in my entire life.
Stepping out of your comfort zone is scary. The biggest fear of mine is leaving my home and living a life that isn’t where I’ve spent my entire 21 years living, but the idea that I could go cliff jumping in Australia, or scuba diving in Sorrento, or even go skiing in Iceland, and I’m not a fan of the cold weather, makes the fear of leaving home less scary. It gives me something to look forward to when I walk across the stage and graduate in May and it makes my life a lot more interesting. It's good to step out of your comfort zone and it's even better getting out and seeing the world.
I'm not so concerned with landing a great, high-paying job right out of college, although that would be cool. I'm OK with getting little jobs here and there that allow me to see the world. Wanderlust is a mantra that I live by because it's something I desire and something that scares the crap out of me, but it makes my life worth living.
