Why Do We Travel?

Last night, after we returned home to Harvee from dinner at Bouldin Creek Cafe, I was reflecting on a text thread with a friend. She asked if I was glad we did this trip. The answer is "Of course!" She also asked if I was ready to return home yet. And that answer too is "Yes!" We've been traveling for 4 1/2 months, with 3 more weeks before returning home. This is the longest trip we've ever taken. Normally, we take vacations 1-2 weeks a year. As I lay in bed trying to fall asleep, I reflected on this journey and pondered the larger question "Why do we travel at all?" when we have a perfectly fine home, neighborhood and city in Indianapolis.

So, it was quite interesting to receive a text from our daughter this morning with a link to "WHY WE TRAVEL" by swiss-miss.com.

Travel for us has always been to explore and learn; to see new places, meet new people, visit old friends and family, and yes, to occasionally just get away from it all. A mental, emotional and physical break from day-to-day living. Traveling helps us open our minds and reflect on our good fortune. It challenges us to get outside our mental boxes and think about what else is possible for us. This line of thinking is especially important now. What will we do with the next chapters of our lives now that we both have been "retired" from our jobs? We may have been perceived as too old by our former employers, but Dennis and I both believe we still have much to contribute to our community and to society in general. We still want to help make an impact on improving this world of ours.

We of course look forward to the new chapter of being grandparents, which is right around the corner. We are excited to help welcome our granddaughter in March. It will be so much fun to watch her grow and introduce her to this amazing, wonderful, weird world with journeys large and small.

However, we are capable of being grandparents while also being productively employed human beings. We are 'xsplorin' many options right now. Will we look for jobs when we return? Do we start a business? What kind? What types of charitable organizations will we support with our time, talent, and treasure? So many topics interest us. We are working on narrowing the list. Our goal is to do good in this world. The world needs more people doing good more than ever. And we will continue to incorporate travel into our life. Traveling helps us gain a new perspective and appreciate the life we have.