I am an old soul. In fact, it's official - I am old! This isn't really a secret because Gabs has been telling me this fact for a long time but I wasn't ready to
believe him - until now. In fact, he sometimes describes me as a "boring adult" which sadly I am ok with. One week after my 27th birthday, I
am ready to admit it: my youth is fading and my age is ripening. How do I
know this? In the last three months I have lived out of the same suitcase and
in/on 17 different hotels, homes, cabins, wagons, hostels, and couches
in 5 different states and 4 countries and I am SO tired!
I want my own
kitchen, front door, thermostat(!) and most of all my own bed with my
own boring routine without any cats, dogs, rats, kids, chickens, sheep or
roommates. See! I am crotchety! I can imagine that 18 year young me
would be enjoying this adventure but 27 year old me is beginning to
forget who 18 year young me is. The tenacity of a vagabond is
commendable. The flexibility of permanent couch surfers is admirable.
And a studio apartment with a 10 o'clock bed time, morning news, 8-5pm job, and a
cup of chai tea sounds as exciting as the time I jumped out of a plane skydiving in Cape Town,
South Africa.
Old lady aspirations aside, these cats and kids
and couches and countries have demonstrated to me that I am loved. There
are amazing people out there: family, friends, in- laws and strangers.
Generosity is alive and well and I am proof of that, just read my
itinerary above or check my passport. As the old saying goes, "it is more blessed to give than to receive" -- sure, I can agree with that but being on the flip, receiving side these last few months, I can say that I am blessed! Perhaps it is a blessing to give but it is a humbling challenge to receive.
I hope someday when I truly am
an old lady, say after 30, I will be just as generous and hospitable to
such a wanderer as myself. But instead of a roommate and a dog, perhaps I will
have a husband and a duck. I
hope I will be flexible to accept frantic same-day crashing requests,
generous to pay for a meal and exceptional in giving $100 to a friend
just
to help "fill the gaps."
The last three months has been filled
with much more than 17 beds, 4 countries and 5 states. It has been
filled with sweet conversations, tender kisses, laughter, zip lines,
food and love.
Thank you friends!
