…I deserve to travel, we ALL deserve to travel. I say “deserve” because it truly is a gift to be appreciated and savored – the ability to leave “here” behind for a time to go “there”. My friend Dayan and I were at the park with our preschoolers today braving the cold breeze and the wet ground because we HAD to get out of the house for a while. As we talked about marriage, kids, to work or not to work, we meandered around to the topic of places we’ve been to or want to go to. It turns out D and I share a love for new places.

The thrill of arriving fresh at a new place is nothing you can replicate with other hobbies. I enjoy the look of new streets, the sound of the traffic, the smells in the air. I regret not having traveled when I was younger and single. (I also regret not staying single longer sometimes, but that’s another post.)

Hubby and I have been to Nova Scotia and Orcas Island, WA. My girls and I used to camp every summer. They are great travelers. When they were younger we spent a week with my brother in Philly. Every day we were going somewhere different, including a day trip to NYC. They hoofed it up Broadway, through Central Park and back down 5th Avenue with barely a peep of complaint. I was proud. I want to take them to Europe soon. Although, I went for a month when I was 18 and wish now I’d been older… I guess I’ll just introduce them and let them go back later to actually begin a relationship with the Continental life.

It’s trite, but travel does make me appreciate home more. Or maybe “appreciate” isn’t the correct word… it’s more like I can enjoy home as another great place to visit – only I stay there longer.