Virtues of Travel: Part 6

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Spring is a stunning time in Denver … crisp mornings alter between hot and mild days, afternoons fill with rain and thunderstorms, and evening brings perfect sunsets over the Rocky Mountains.  We take to the yard, preparing summer gardens, completing long over-due landscaping projects, chasing weeds, and most enjoyable of all, watching the trees ebb into green and the roses arise from their winter slumber. I know this season and place intimately; I cherish these moments at home.

I didn’t always feel so happy about the idea of “home.”  My wanderlust and vagabonding kept me somewhat on edge, awaiting the next suitcase, plane ticket, and passport stamp. Home meant roots, ties keeping us from heading out the door, responsibilities …

But over the last few years, I’ve felt a stronger reward from trips, a better awareness during each present moment while traveling, and a deeper connectivity to the places we’ve visited. With my most recent spring landscaping project and rose care (pictured above), in preparation for summer journeys ahead, I’ve had time to reflect on these new levels of appreciation. I believe I’ve become a happier traveler because I’ve created a home.

And home needn’t be walls and a roof, land that you own, or an unruly yard that demands daily attention. Home might instead be a place of friends and family, a community gathering, a religious fellowship, a relaxing place in your mind. In whatever manifestation, home is always there, waiting for your return. And it is in the act of this returning where so much wandering gains its greatest meaning.