Going Home . . .

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(January 12th) I’m sitting now on the airplane after saying goodbye to Ireland and the life of travel we’ve lived for the past four months. Of course I’ve missed my family and friends (and Ducky of course), but there is something about the freedom that we’ve had that I will miss everyday for a long time. This has been the greatest four months of my life. I’ve learned more about myself than I ever thought possible. Brian and I are coming home even stronger in our relationship than we ever were before (which is saying a lot because we thought we were already pretty damn solid.) So, to end my writing, I thought it would be fitting to let the teacher in me take over one last time, and tell you all what I’ve learned, and hopefully what some of you have already taken away from reading along with our journey.
I’ve learned that:
- sometimes it takes someone else to show you something you couldn’t see for yourself
- the little kid inside of us that makes life worth living
- you should only travel to Croatia in the summer
- some of the greatest conversation you can have will be with someone twice your age
- people are good, and humanity as a whole is not lost but in fact truly cares about all of its inhabitants
- life in unpredictable, so always bring an umbrella
- seeing people you love after you’ve been away is one of the greatest highs life has to offer
- its cheaper to order wine in Italy than to order soda, and much tastier
- getting lost is not always a bad thing, and it may lead you to some place you never would’ve found with a map
- you never really know who you’ve touched in your life or how they truly feel about you, so be kind to everyone
- you should break your routine every once in awhile just to challenge yourself
- you should respect the culture you are in. You are a guest and should act accordingly
- patience should be used at each and every moment of the day, because a few extra minutes isn’t worth the fuss
- you should try to learn the language, even a little bit, because you will be praised and respected for even trying
- you should never make assumptions. Let things unfold before you form an opinion.
- "Anyone who lives within their means suffers from lack of imagination." I stole that one from Oscar Wilde 😊
- taking time for yourself gives you a new breath of life and reminds you of who you really are
- (and most importantly of all) things will always work out, maybe not in the way that you expected, but trust me, they always will . . .

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