Wanderlust, remembering that sense of mystery and wonder.

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I’m 42 now (26 if anyone asks), and I’m in a point in my life where I’m happy. Just started a new job, which is challenging but which I’m enjoying. Kids are happy, hubby is happy, life is good, but I am always experiencing wanderlust.

Happiness

Research shows there’s a few core truths that makes us happy. Being altruistic, turning off devices, talking to real people, forging relationships, living with meaning, having a purpose, travel… that last one is what makes me smile!! But how do we stay happy?

How do we survive when the world goes dim, all the sad and bad news, the illnesses, overwhelm, heart break, loss, pain? Does being happy depend only on what happens? Can we still absorb sunlight on dark days? How do we keep the light within us bright?

For me, being happy is when I can dive into a world where clocks don’t tick and inboxes don’t ping. It makes me less irritable, more humble, more curious and more creative. My love for nature and adventure is coiled within my bones and stepping away from the daily grind sure does put a smile on my face.

Wanderlust

What keeps me happy is awe, and we should understand awe as naturally as we do breathing. Going back to being a child, ‘Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are’, remembering that sense of mystery and wonder. I still want that now, wanderlust, that feeling of awe, of wondering what else is out there. I’m planning our next trip, maybe back to the States, or Japan, somewhere new to explore! The children are teenagers now, they too like new experiences so a good family trip travelling to new locations is on the list.

I will always seek the transcendent. Given the ugliness of what we see and hear every day, I’m always searching for the beautiful stuff, looking for that undiscovered world and as happy as I am, I need to teach myself how to slow down, how to wonder again, how to feel every sensation. I want goosebumps!

I am extremely grateful for all I have and for all I have done. For my family, for my health, for the sunrise, for waking up every day. I want to feel the presence of my life, embrace it and not just live it.. that would be a waste.