It's been a year.

One year ago I departed from the Nashville International Airport only to stop in Detroit before making the leap to Heathrow. I left on the 10th, arrived on the 11th, cried till the 15th.

It was the best decision I ever made. There's a sprinkling of friends going abroad, and I envy the thrill pulsing through their veins. The days ahead are going to be difficult and life affirming/changing. I ache to be en route to adventure.

Traveling awakes the soul. It makes you remember what home means to you, all the while reminding you who you are without it. You don't have to be completely defined by your home, but you will always carry pieces of it with you. I didn't understand that till I was gone. Travel also awakens your senses. Previous notions of how life should be lived is thrown away, and in its place forms the open-mindedness that accepts that there are many ways to have happy and full lives.

To those embarking on an adventure soon: be strong.

That photo is from the early days of January. A light snow had fallen, quickly zapped by the sun, and we walked to this tiny church with a graveyard adjacent. This morning, though early and mostly silent, was the first time Peter and I spent time together--just the two of us. 

I swear I am going to stop reminiscing.