Louise Spence

Wonderlust.

I imagine I am far away.

I am sat on an embankment. I am idly pulling at the grass shoots beneath my feet. I can smell a pleasant mixture of campfire ash and the after effects of the summer storm - the hazy aroma of flowers mixed faintly with that undescribable rain scent. It is late evening, and it has been a pleasant day. I have seen beautiful sights, but the ones that have stood out most have been the smiles on the faces of the people I’ve met. I always remember the smiles.

I am not as young as I once was. My body is not as swift; nor is my mind, at times. The nostalgia of youth sets a slight sadness in my heart, but I have lived my time. I have done all I was meant to do, and that is enough.

I am not alone. There is no one beside me but there are people in my heart and mind that I keep close to me always, no matter how many oceans I’ve crossed or skies I’ve traversed. They are my life, they are my soul, they are my friends, they are my family. 

I have not seen nearly enough of the world. No human being could ever manage to find every corner of the globe. But I have seen enough to satate my wonderlust; enough to satisfy my thirst for beauty. I have immersed myself in other cultures and opened my heart to new experiences, and new emotions. I have met so many thousands of people, each unforgettable in their own right. I may not always remember the names - some of them I never knew - but the faces stay ingrained with me. And the smiles. Always the smiles.

Tonight I’ll watch the sunset over the valley. It will not be the first time. It may be the last. But as the red encompasses the earth and for that one brief moment, my entire world lights up in varying shades of orange, I will breathe a sigh. I will look back, and know that I have lived. That I am still living. I have not done all I wanted to do, but I have been happy. I have not reached the destination, but only because I never had a destination in mind. And goodness me, I’ve enjoyed the journey.