My first travel era was the one fueled by my parents as a child and early college student. They instilled in me the desire to see the world, to explore something bigger than myself, to listen to the rhythms of Mother of Nature, to wonder and to wander.
My second travel era was the one where I taught my ex-husband to love to travel and we found our own rhythms in the trips we took especially as we started to have more disposable income and could travel more frequently.
My third travel era was my healing era. That first year after the separation travel was one of many lifelines for me. It is where I quieted my mind and found perspective. Sometimes it is what forced me to sit with my grief and raw emotions. And the miles I walked were a release. It is also where I gained confidence and tried new things and started to reconnect with my authentic self.
So here I am, less than two days before my next big solo trip and this feels like my first big solo trip with my excitement through the roof. And I think that's because this one is truly just about me. There isn't the baggage of a divorce hanging over my head and the newness of grief that I dragged along on my New York City trip last October. And I know myself better and am no longer pushing against a strong default to the routines and choices we would have made as a couple.
This is a new era. I get to just be me. And it is so frickin' freeing!
So I just booked a Cocktail History Walking Tour. I've got reservations on Thanksgiving Day at a nice seafood restaurant with views of the river. I bought tickets to the National WWII Museum. I booked a full week pass to the thermal suite in the spa. I'm going to learn to make different salsas, drink margaritas, and learn to dance Salsa. I'm going to tour mangroves and participate in a seafood boil. And I have a different dress picked out for every dinner.
It all just feels a bit more elevated and a lot more me.
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