Skip to main content

Wanderlust

If you can't read the stars, you'd better have a map,
a compass and a conscience so you don't get lost at sea
around some lonely island no one wants to be.
From the beginning of creation, I think our Maker had a plan
for us to leave these shores and sail beyond the sand.

A friend of mine played this song for me this morning, and it spoke to my soul in a way that I didn't know I needed. I've been feeling that "stuck in a moment" feeling lately that has me vacillating between the life extremes of safety and adventure and desperately afraid that my form of compromise will be one of monotony. (I fear little in life more than monotony.)

This is not a new struggle. In fact, it's been part of me for as long as I can remember. Something deep within me is compelled to explore and experience and cram my mind with as many memories as possible. I've suppressed it well for most of my life, but when the soul calls and aches, you can ignore it for only so long.

It's aching right now. That's wanderlust--an ache in the distance. For me, this means I could easily sell my property and possessions and hop in a Jeep to explore the Badlands or cruise the Pan American highway. It means I might very well leave behind all I know to live abroad.

I'm starting to think that I'm not meant to be settled. I'd like to say that I don't know what this means, but I have an idea. It scares me to think of the possibility. I've grown accustomed to the "safe" life I have right now (even though I am well aware that it's a lot less safe than I like to think it is). Yet, I've been asked twice in the last week the same question that strikes to the heart of the matter.

So when are you going to start writing?

Between this question and this morning's song, I have no choice. It's time to jump...to be vulnerable to myself...to be authentic to my being.

I'm writing again.
Labels:

Comments

Christy said…
Awesome!
I understand that feeling. That wanderlust. That ache that pulls you away from where you are and calls you out into something - you just don't always know where it is you're being called.
I get it.
I can't wait to see what you do with it.
9:38 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stalking a Pirate

Prepared we were not to cross Captain Jack's path late in the summer of ten, with the sun bearing down as we wandered the town where the Koreshans once lived. But he nodded. We smiled and went on our way, rolling it all in our heads. We giggled and talked and suddenly stopped to turn back and run after him. You see love for a pirate and sailing the seas rest deep in a gypsy girl's soul, where she dreams of the day he will take her away to find a new place in the world. So we followed his swagger as he wound through the woods and stopped to take in the sights. You know when chance comes to call you must answer with all because sometimes she doesn't seek twice. There we tracked Captain Jack on the seashell lined path and dreamed of the life that he lived With his swashbuckling ways that man made our day late in the summer of ten. You know love for a pirate and an adventurer's life lie deep in a gypsy girl's soul, where she dreams of the world she has yet to explore an...
2 comments
Read more

Trying to Keep It All Together

The title of this post is a bit of a misnomer. Just this morning I said, "I'm having a hard time getting it together right now." I'm in one of those periods when showing up is the best I can offer, and I can't even guarantee that. That said, I just popped on here to share that I'm struggling. I'm dealing with a lot of loss right now. Some of it is easy to spot. Some of it I've tucked away because it's either terribly painful or terribly embarrassing--at least to me. Some of it was inevitable. Some of it was a surprise. All of it rises up into the center of my chest and begs me to stop for a moment to acknowledge it. It's doing that right now even as I type this. I'm having a hard time getting it together right now.
Post a Comment
Read more

The Shock of the Century

 I woke up Tuesday morning with the worst sore throat I can remember having. It was annoying, but the pain started to subside as I was in the middle of my morning routine. I pushed it aside and left for work. On my drive to work, I usually listen to the morning news or talk to a friend on the phone. I was running late that morning, and my friend was already in her office where she has no cell service. The radio was irritating, so I entertained myself as I spent more time tapping the brakes than pressing the gas pedal. By the time I arrived at work, I had a nagging feeling. My cousin is getting married this weekend, and my sister and nephew and I had planned a road trip together. The plan was to leave Thursday morning, drive up to Georgia to see our grandmother and then head over to South Carolina on Friday for the wedding. That meant I would be seeing both of my 90+ year old grandmothers, plus family members with health concerns. A cold was frustrating, but the last thing I wanted ...
2 comments
Read more