Wanderlust is defined as a "strong desire to travel". I've been bit by the wanderlust bug if there ever were any kind of bugs like those flying around. I'd picture them as a cross between Tinkerbell and a firefly. I'd prefer those over mosquitoes any day!

But back to the traveling. I'm into cross country stops all the way to a week of doing nothing in Austria. Depends on the day and my mood. So, when I heard about this book by Tsh Oxenreider, At Home in the World: Reflections on Belonging While Wandering the Globe, I HAD to get it. Tsh recaps a trip around the world with her husband and small children. I mean, who does that? And lives with enough sanity to write a book about it? I've been captivated by even the idea of packing for a nine month trip. What do you even put in the backpacks? She goes over that and what she learned. She also talks about her stop into China and gives some golden advice. She knew she was going to struggle a bit when she got there so she wrote a note to her future self assuring her that it would be okay. She reminds herself that discomfort doesn't always mean it's wrong. That note and her explanation are highlighted already in my copy of her book. Yep, I bought this ready to have a fast read and I'm already stopping to highlight things because I love what she has to say and I want to remember it.

Tsh is my wannabe alter ego. She gets up the courage to do something and goes for it. Don't get me wrong, I can be determined and self driven with a lot of things. But going on a world trip? Pass me the courage please. 

I'm loving every word and experience she's laid down in this book and I haven't even finished it yet! If I've learned anything, it has been to enjoy the present. I am so bad with that. I am always looking for what is next and not always taking the time to appreciate what I have right now. I realized that wanderlust is great and I will use that desire to travel and put it into action soon. However, my season right now is to be planted where I am. "Bloom where you are planted"....ever heard that quote? It's so simple yet can be so hard to do. We can flourish right where we are....and when we grow in the soil we've been planted in....we can be transplanted to another pot or ground of soil once our roots are strong enough. We can't miss the growing process or we will never fully bloom.

So, I'm using wanderlust locally. I'm stopping to admire what is around me. I've missed so much of what my present soil has to offer! We live in a great big world and right up the street from me are some GORGEOUS trees that blossomed. It took me a couple weeks to even get over there to take some pictures but I am so glad I did. Walking through those blood orange kissed trees was like looking through a kaleidoscope.

The world is fascinating, amazing, refreshing and beautiful. But, you don't always have to go to a different location to find beauty. It's everywhere....even in your own backyard! Exploring is only one step of the process. The grass might look greener on the other side....The Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, Mount Everest....all notable and great things to see and definitely worth jotting down on the bucket list....but you've got fellow friends in those areas bit by the wanderlust bug that think there's nothing special about passing the Eiffel Tower every day. It's the perspective that counts. I could travel the world and miss everything right in front of me if I don't have the right perspective.....So, I'm starting at home and appreciating the little things first to see where it takes me. I'm so thankful my vision is starting to shift into focus. It makes everything look beautiful. And Tsh? She's on my nightstand ready to take me on an adventure with every turn of the page.

For more information on my summer reading book of the month, check it out here:

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