A return of a different sort

In truth the final days of my trip in South America were fairly non eventful. Their was saying goodbye to B, going to a banjo performance, and watching movies in Lima. I had tearful goodbyes with my laundry ladies, and generally felt like I had been so blessed on this trip.

Within no time, I was back at Lima International Airport waiting for my one o’clock am flight back to Canada. While it was hard to say goodbye to Peru and to my travels, I was more excited about heading home. Seeing the faces I love so much and hugging them all. I think truly there is no greater adventure, than returning home after a long period of time.

I can say that this trip changed me. In some small ways and in others more profound. Perhaps I haven’t even realized all the incredible ways that this trip has enriched my life. All I know is that I come home surer of myself than I ever was. Ready to take on life's challenges in a different way. And with a new perspective. I have seen poverty, I have seen kindness, I have seen nature in ways I never thought possible. I have been incredibly lucky.

From the moment my plane touched down, I both yelled for joy and wept. It was such a feeling to know I survived the past nine months and even more to know that I was about to share that time with my family and friends. Even if I may have weirded out my fellow passengers, it never felt so good to be home. To be back where I was brought up.

It has been 12 days since I got home. I have seen my family and most of my friends by this point. I have seen the ways in which Canada has changed and the ways in which it is still the same.

I still don’t know how my life goes from here. I don’t know what other adventures my future holds. I just know that I have learned some great lessons about life and especially what I want out of it. All I can say to you is that life is too short for you to be ridiculous. Stop telling yourself the reasons you can’t live your life the way you want it. Stop letting yourself prevent yourself from trying. Go do something that scares you, because you will soon find out that it isn’t so scary after all. And who knows, you might actually grow from the whole experience.

So travel. See the world. Just do something.