home...

I am now back in the good ol' USA. Emily Dickinson said "where thou art, that is home." While I had an absolutely incredible time abroad, I tend to disagree. I loved Thailand. Chiang Rai was my home, but there were times along the way that I didn't feel quite as comforted and secure. Sometimes, though, I think that feeling of excitement and danger helps us a long. There's a saying by Cesar Cruz, which states "comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable." I think there is truth inherent in that order. Sometimes we get too comfortable in our lives. We don't challenge ourselves or each other, but we can grow through exploration.

On this trip, I learned about myself and about how I can adapt to new situations. I love planning, but after many trips "we find... that we do not take a trip, a trip takes us." I think John Steinbeck had a good point. We can prepare as much as we like, but if we're true to our purpose of the adventure, it leads us. We should let, as Anatole Francis calls it, "this sensual yearning for knowledge, this insatiable wanderlust, this long desire" capture us and take us hold. We live in a world filled with adventure, beauty, and chaos. We should explore it. Embrace it. Feel it.