Bringing the Good Things Home

I think the older I get, the more I realize everyone is who they are, and places are as they are as well. Rome is Rome, Milan is Milan, New York is New York, and no matter where you go, each person and place has its own vibe and its own culture, ways of life, language, and food.

Being American, I found issues with certain things in the States, but many were things I could change in my own house. I call it bringing the good things home. Everywhere I travel, I bring things home to teach the people around me. Guatemala taught me the beauty of family, hugs, loud laughter, Spanish, and the wonderful traditions of Guatemalan culture. I bring those things home, and my children will learn Spanish, and I hope it warms their hearts when they can express themselves in more than one way. I bring home warm hugs, kind discipline, cooking as a family, and enjoying simplicity. When I hear Spanish, it genuinely warms my heart. I don't need to live in Guatemala to enjoy these traditions, ways of life, and language. I can do that wherever I am, and I always will.

Paris is me in a city. It is everything I could possibly love in a single place, but it almost feels like a crime not to bring the good things home. To teach my children French, to show them the beauty in slowing down, to enjoy farmer's markets together, to learn to happiness without material items, and to learn the idea of working to live. I think it is even more valuable to learn things when you are placed in a society that doesn’t follow the same ways of life. It allows you to see from a young age the way different cultures live and how you, too, can pick who you want to be and what ways of life you enjoy.

I travel to make myself a better person, to expand my ideas, to test my comfort zone, and always to bring the good things home. If you're scared to travel alone or have never traveled outside of your country, you have nothing to be scared of. It can be nervewracking because you're being tested to truly venture through life by the beat of your own drum and out of your comfort zone, but you will see how much love you find for yourself. The grace you begin to give yourself, and the beautiful people you meet will become powerful.

When I get homesick, I become extra grateful for where I've come from. When I miss my family, a certain food, or a favorite store, it makes me thankful I even know them to miss them. Travel changes your perspective for the better and challenges you to fall in love with the different phases of your life.

So no matter where I end up, my home will be filled with all the good things I've collected throughout my travels. There is no rush in life, and every minute is a new chance to begin falling in love with it. I challenge you to bring the good things home from everywhere you go and everyone you meet.