If I could have one superhero power, it would be to transport myself instantaneously to where I want to go. This seems a bit contradictory for the girl who loves the act of travel, the soothing monotony of grey airport walls and the bustle of foreign passengers all aboard one plane, but it is what my chosen power would be.
There is nothing more invigorating than being exposed to new cultures, new linguistic sounds, and new people. Travel changes people, but really, it’s not the travel part that makes them change, it’s the people part. People change people, sometimes in good ways, and sometimes in bad ways. It’s up to us to surround ourselves with those who will positively influence, stimulate and encourage us; to surround ourselves with those who stimulate our minds, our understandings of humanity and our self-identity. It is also our duty to identify the character traits that someone (a friend, family member, or stranger we encounter while traveling) inspires within us.
Although I adore every aspect of the act of travel and cultural exploration, I also value where I am today, in Ladysmith, Virginia and know that this area of the world is exactly where I need to be right now to become who I am meant to be in the future. It is when we are able to see our lives in this way that we finally are able to be who we are meant to be. In other words, the only way to become who I want to be is to trust that I am exactly where and who I am supposed to be.
Today, I encourage you to start enjoying where you live, the circumstances that have been placed in your lap, and the particularities of the life that is yours…for these thing do not happen by accident and they play a monumental role into forming who you are. I have stopped wishing I was in France, Fiji or Florence every day; won’t you join me in appreciating where you are today instead of wishing where you could be?