I spent the weekend with fellow travelers, with expats, talking of cultural differences and the magic of opening yourself up on the road, being charismatic, willing to experience life.
I am thankful for all that I have learned from my travels. It makes being in a new place a bit easier. Settling is always hard, finding friends and a sense of home. You have to put yourself out there. It isn't easy or comfortable but the reward of friendship is so worth it.
I often meet new people and go out with them. I will go to an event or bar by myself. I will say yes to opportunities and adventures, something I am sure would never have happened had I not been forced to while on the road.
I try to pretend that I am in a new country when I head to the city. I look up, wide eyed and open, I interact, I stroll and when I am in this mode, magic always happens. That's why travel is so magical, because you are willing to adapt, you are curious and open. So, now, I try to practice that at home.
Sometimes I feel like I am always trying to play catch up as I spent so many years traveling while people my age were building careers, growing loving relationships, and creating home and community but when I realize all the lessons I have learned, how much I have grown, how I can blend in with just about any culture, how I can move to a new city and fearlessly start over, I feel blessed for the path I choose to take.
For each day is a new adventure, anything can happen. The road is life.