Here I am. Sitting on a plane to Sacramento, CA with Stu and the kids, to spend a few days visiting good friends.
The kids have truly become seasoned
travelers. They know the routine of going through security (and lament the
inexperienced travelers who can’t quite seem to remember what they need to take
out of their bags). They know the layout of the airport, how to navigate the
crowds with carryon luggage in tow, and remember to use the bathroom before
getting on the plane. Cailin relishes researching the type of plane we’ll be
flying, reporting how many seats are filled and calculating the chances of
getting upgraded. They have gained these skills through experience.
Stuart and I have always enjoyed traveling.
While it took different forms, we both come from families who appreciated
travel. Road trips out west to go
skiing. European vacations. Long weekends spent on the beach in Florida. Spring
breaks spent in Hawaii. Those early experiences laid the foundation for the love
of travel we nurture as a couple.
We’ve traveled to five continents together –
Asia, Australia, Europe, Africa and North America. (Ironically, neither of us
has been to South America…yet.) We’ve road-tripped across the US and
criss-crossed the International Date Line on 14+-hour flights. Travel is
important to us. When we’ve gone more than a few months without going on a
trip…or at least planning one…we both get “the itch.” Travel is something we
long for, save for and sacrifice for.
As the kids have gotten older, they have
become our co-conspirators. I’ll overhear them reminiscing about our time in
Yellowstone and dreaming of a trip to Yosemite at some point in the future.
They’ll say things like, “The next time we go to Africa…” or “When we go back
to Florence…” (My heart melts a little when I hear them.)
But why do we travel? What’s the allure? What
need does it fill?
* * * * *
I’ve been reading a book by my friend Sheryl
Hill. Sheryl’s son Tyler died while traveling on a student ambassador trip to
Japan when he was only 16. The book provides a glimpse of the depth of Sheryl’s
grief and the healing she has found in honoring his memory, celebrating his
life and connecting with him “on the other side.”
Sheryl is a powerhouse. The word “passionate”
doesn’t do her justice. Her unbridled emotions can, at times, be exhausting.
But what draws me to Sheryl is her love of travel, especially for students.
Some might find that surprising since she lost a son while traveling. Instead,
Sheryl has committed her life to making global travel safer for students, so
more of them can fully experience the joy that can come from traveling abroad.
I have been honored to be able to help her just a bit on her journey.
* * * * *
My cousin, Heather, recently took the
plunge…leaving her well-paying job at a Fortune 500 company and buying a
one-way ticket to Costa Rica…by herself. (She’s braver than I am. While I
definitely enjoy time alone, I have never been good about traveling on my own.
I tend to hibernate in my hotel room.) Heather had an amazing experience at a
yoga retreat where she learned to surf and figure out what kind of life she
wants to live. She returned with newfound energy and a resolve to live
differently…in a warmer climate near water. Smart woman! But first, she’s spending
a month in India to get her yoga instructor certification. I am so proud of
her!
Her parents are proud of her too, but also
pretty anxious about her traveling halfway around the world to a remote part of
India on her own. I understand their anxiety too. If she were my daughter,
these adventures would make me a little nervous too.
* * * * *
Thinking about Tyler’s death, Sheryl’s
passion and Heather’s adventures leads me to thinking about my own kids. I will
always encourage their interest in traveling, yet I will also always have a
mother’s heart that wants to protect them, keep them safe and well.
What do I hope for them? Why do I nurture the
burgeoning travel bug in each of them?
I believe that traveling can remind us of the
miracle of creation, of the amazing diversity of our planet, the rich
differences between people and more so the similarities. When I travel, whether
across the state or across the world, I get just a taste of a different place,
different air, different soil, different people, food, customs, music, art.
I’ve come to appreciate the beauty to be found in an arid desert, a tropical
rainforest, a bustling city, a vast plain and in the faces of people of every
color, every background, every language. I’ve felt the warmth of a Kenyan smile
(they have the BEST smiles), heard the laughter of Japanese schoolgirls, shared
in the gluttony of a French dinner table.
Everywhere I’ve been a few things ring true: food is connection, music
is emotion, art is imagination at play, families are created not through blood but
through love, we are all more similar than we are different.
Ultimately, all of these experiences of others…other people, other
places…help me to understand myself a bit more. And maybe that’s why I travel. A continual search for
understanding through the joyous experience of this crazy, diverse world. And I
guess that’s what I want for my kids. To understand themselves by understanding
others. To develop a healthy sense of context. To respect themselves and all
the “others” because there is always something to be learned.
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