A word that has stayed with me

I'm a pretty verbal person. I like words, love to read, love to write when lightening bolts of inspiration hit me. There are a few words that have stuck around with me as being words I relate to in a personal, and sometimes quasi-spiritual way.

One word that has stayed with me for more than 15 years is this one:

WANDERLUST

Merriam-Webster defines it as: a strong desire to travel; a longing for, or impulse towards wandering.

I first heard this word in my emo poetry-writing teenage years. The word, the meaning, and how I related to it felt profound at the time. During the summer of 1997 I wrote this poem based on this word:

Copyright, me 1997

I've even thought about having this word tattoo'd on my foot in an elegant script.

And the word, and its meaning have been infusing me since I made up my mind to go on this sojourn to Europe this year. I feel driven by this restless need to see the world. Last night my dad asked me why I wanted to go to Morocco. The best explanation I could give was this, "I have seen so many beautiful pictures of Morocco on the internet. I got tired of seeing the photos. I want to see the place for myself." There is no reason for wanting to travel, to wander, to seek. The wanting is enough.

A couple years ago, one of my favourite indie music artists, Bjork, wrote a song called Wanderlust. I feel that this song, the video, and the message is so en pointe pour moi a cette moment. Vraiment! The desire to get out of urban living, connect with parts of the self, even confront parts of the self, while exploring amazing environments - all of this is captured in this song/video, and indeed captures some of the spirit in my heart these days. Enjoy.