Wonder and Wander

Ever since I can remember, I’ve had a case of wanderlust. It wasn’t because I had much opportunity–I was a teenager who had never been on an airplane, an East Coast girl who had never crossed the Mississippi. Reading, however, was my open door, and I dreamed of getting beyond the hazy suburbs to the terra firma I knew had to be out there.

Incredibly, I actually got that chance in college. Backpacking in Europe with my best friend, exploring the Middle East, a summer in India, a visit to Puerto Rico…I said yes to every chance I had. Travel, it turns out, was more than just the sights and sounds of a new place, more than a check on my bucket list. Exploration built courage in me. It pushed me well past my comfort zone. It opened my eyes to new delights, and a greater compassion for the world that didn’t look or think like me.

Fast forward: I’m back in the suburbs, decades later, now with a family in tow, school to finish, sports to get to, music to rehearse, ministry to live, and the thousand necessaries that just won’t quit. To be clear, we love it, and our days are full of good, meaningful, necessary, important things. But in the back of my mind I’ve dreamed of giving my kids a taste of what shaped my perspectives. I figured it was a pipe dream, because how could we possibly extricate ourselves from everything and be irresponsible enough to just go?

Turns out, it is crazy. But we’re doing it anyway. In two weeks, we’re walking away from life as we know it and taking a sabbatical. 6 months away. 8+ countries. 5 carry-ons. Here we are again–and here we go.