Some people say home is where you come from. But I think it's a place you need to find, like it's scattered and you pick up pieces of it along the way.
Peope travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the seas, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass by themselves without noticing. For a lot of us, our hearts crave it. The feeling of a new place, the feeling of starting fresh. Where no one knows your story. I was blessed with the strength to start over without causing too much damage. But what a lot of people don't realize is what it takes to fulfill this craving. For one to travel as much as we would like to, you must learn to be content with a broken heart.
To travel you must be OK with pain because if you do it right you will leave a piece of yourself everywhere you go. A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving. I’ve left my sense of sanity in the ocean, and it floated out to sea. I’ve lost my clarity in the clouds when I flew through the sky in a plane over miles of land. Those clouds poured down in the form of rain, and disappeared forever. I’ve left my skill of attachment miles away with my best friend whom I left up north. That’s a long trip to take. I left my purity with a boy who broke my heart, and now he gives his love to another girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. A man took a piece of my heart when he left to serve our country, and I don't even want it back. If it's meant to be he'll return it to me one day. I left my past in the hands of God on my knees at an altar in many churches. I lost my family in the tears of shame that vanished as they hit the floor. I've left memories in lines of songs that I bring back sometimes when I dare to listen to them. I left pain in that black dress I wore in that funeral home, I will never put it on again. I lost my childhood in the wind that blew and separated me from my parents.
But to travel doesn't only mean losing things because if you're lucky you'll find pieces of yourself along the way.
I found hope in the hearts of the Kings, the only family I have left. I found love in the house of my new home, with my new parents. I found confidence in the heart of man who believes I'm his weakness. I found redemption in the house of my God. I found piece in the movement of my hand with a pen and paper. I found clarity on that couch in my therapist's office. I found control in the swing of a bat when it smacks a ball at the perfect time. I found growth in all those summer camps I wished never ended. I found answers in the pages of my bible. I found council in the angels I've met on this planet. I've found strength in the heart break of all the temporary people I've crossed paths with.
I haven’t even reached the beginning of my traveling career, but I’ve learned you need a little bit of it in life if you want to grow. Please be a traveler, not a tourist. Try new things, meet new people, and look beyond what's right in front of you. Those are the keys to understand this world we live in. I’ve gained courage, bravery, creativity and faith. A broken heart can inspire the minds of those who allow it. So travel. Feel everything. The good and the bad. I promise, it will be worth it in the end.
