Planting seeds

"I don't believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive." - Joseph Campbell

My little sister is in Spain.  She is traveling Europe for the summer.  She purchased a one way ticket to Lisbon.  So far the itinerary includes:  Portugal,  Morocco, Spain, Italy, France, England.....the list could go on.

My Mother will be joining her next month for several weeks.

______________________________________________________________

I grew up in a family of four children.  Each of us has traveled, some more extensively and adventurously than others.   We had great role models.  My aunt traveled internationally on a regular basis and married an Australian.  My Godmother spent a large portion of her life in Democratic Republic of the Congo and spoke multiple languages.   But the best examples we were given were by our parents. 

We drove out west several times.  To Seattle when I was 2.  The Rockies when I was 7.  My older sister spent her birthday in Montana one year and when she woke up was greeted with a Mama and baby Moose outside of our tent. 

We always drove.  And yes, we camped.  In tents.  Eventually, we were classy enough to have a pop-up camper.   All six of us snuggled up in a small, non-air-conditioned space.  My favorite memories come from those trips...driving to Florida.  Vermont.  Maine.  Road trips, traveling, exploring new spaces.....it is in my blood.  

I have a vivid memory driving through the heart of Wyoming in our van with no AC, with those plastic seats that we'd have to peel our sweaty legs from.....the windows were rolled down, my little brother was just in his diaper strapped in his carseat and my sisters and I were counting clouds.   And even though I am sure we were all complaining about how bored we were - in the middle of that empty stretch of road in the middle of that lonely state...my parents were planting seeds.  

Seeds that would bloom into trips to Australia, Germany, Vietnam, Cambodia, Morocco, Japan, New Zealand and Bali.

They were quietly teaching us to stretch beyond our comfort zones and showing us the sweet reward of exploring someplace new.   

Me hiking Uluru circa 2003

I hope to teach my boys the same thing.  We will start small.   No cross country trips just yet.  Brannon and I are thinking more along the lines of a quiet camping trip close to home.  But I have big plans.  Seeds to plant.  Curiosity to cultivate.  And if I do it just right....I hope to spark in them the love of adventure and travel that I have been given.