Dear Travel
My heart forever belongs to you
Hello, my dear friend. You didn’t think I forgot about you, right?
I know the past sixteen months have been a roller coaster for you. Trust me, you aren’t alone. Being away from you has made me feel empty, as if a piece of my spirit has been dulled. But things seem to be looking up. Slowly, but surely.
It’s funny to think how detached I used to be from you. I mean sure, you were a constant part of my life. But more as a means to an end. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think you’d become a nonnegotiable.
We had our first exchange in the summer of 1994. I was a diaper-wearing, milk-guzzling, rattle-shaking infant. Though I have zero recollection of that encounter, I know a seed was planted in my curly little head. A seed of curiosity, a seed of connection.
Fast-forward twenty years to 2014, and you popped back in at the right time. That was a difficult year for many reasons, full of seismic shifts and unfathomable change. But you gave me a glimpse of joy when I thought it had been forever depleted from my system. You led me to the sunny, soft sands of Cabo San Lucas. And as I danced on the catamaran, throwing my arms out in tune with the Macarena while surrounded by joyous strangers, something clicked. I wanted you. I loved you.
