These feet.

I'm not terribly consistent with this, but usually when I'm traveling and I find some place I really like - somewhere that is particularly beautiful or meaningful, I take a picture of my feet.






It's my birthday today and looking at these feet, I think about all the places they've been. They have touched down in over 30 countries, countless cities and several oceans. For me, this fact is a source of pride. Each new place I step foot in is a badge of honor, another thing to point to that says- this is where I've been, this is what I've seen and this is who I am.

While there is a cost to all the traveling I do, I don't even want to begin to think about who I'd be without it. It has been such a defining part of my life. And it is a distinct privilege that I have learned not to take for granted- and I don't take it for granted now, not one minute. It has taught me patience and humility. It makes me question everything. It helps me breathe. Traveling has made me insatiably curious. It gives me time to be with myself in a way that is terrifying and necessary. I've learned to think positively, to roll with the punches and keep stress at bay. Traveling has taught me how to keep things in perspective- in a way, it keeps me grounded (irony intended.)

I don't yet know all the places these feet will go. But I am beside myself with glee about where they might take me. There is still so much to see and do, but I recognize the enormity of how privileged I am to have seen and done all that I already have. I'm not afraid of getting older. I've earned every year I've got. Maybe the biggest thing I've learned from traveling is how to be present. And that's what this getting older thing is for me too. I often feel like wherever I am, in time or space, is exactly where I'm supposed to be and I feel like that now. Twenty-seven feels right and good. Couldn't ask for much more.