"But no matter, the road is life.”

I've always considered myself a sort-of nomad.

I haven’t traveled much in my life, but I have been to a few places and at each place I leave a horcrux-like part of my soul there. I become extremely attached to those places that I feel this undying, unrelenting, perpetuating marriage to the place. It could be as close as Kenosee Lake in southern Saskatchewan where I had my first summer camp experience. Or it could be as far as London, England where I went on the time-of-my-life trip through a university program. Each place is where I hold my most dear memories and each place I want to go back so much that it hurts.

Like our sassy friend, Cale, I too have a lot of mental controversy deciding if it’s a good idea to go on a trip. For financial reasons as well as the real-life responsibilities, it takes a lot of compromising to get anywhere. But, those spontaneous trips are the ones I long for; they seem to be the ones that are most worthwhile and with the least real-life consequences for me. For example, I embarked on a journey to Toronto this past summer, and it was a thrilling trip with a lot of fun memories and reuniting with some great friends, as well as making new friends! I also fancy the city life; I find it to be exciting and mysterious.

That being said, I can’t get enough of the rural and natural scenery I've witnessed on my travels too. I have never once touched the ocean, oddly enough, because I spent a whole week on a cruise ship floating down the Mayan Riviera. But, I got to see dolphins, whales, sea lions, and a ton of tropical fish that I had never seen before. In England, we got to see the rolling green hills inhabiting rabbits and wild rhubarb, and trees encased in Engelman’s Ivy, all while rolling on the train tracks to Stratford-upon-avon. The bird life at Shakespeare’s home place was spectacular from swans, geese, and ducks to pigeons, hawks, and owls. There’s something enchanting about the Wisteria vines climbing the plastered walls of empty homes on the cobbled streets in England.

Most of all, besides the scenic views and mysteries of these exotic places I've seen, there is a great deal of relationship making when travelling to different parts of the world. Being someone who is a timid creature around new people, I find travelling allows me to break out of my shell and open my trust up to other people. After all, this is how I met my Marley, who is a darling lady I've got to spend an important chunk of my life with. Marley was in the group who I had the pleasure of trailing the English capital with. “While some bring home souvenirs, pleasant memorials that are eventually tossed aside as time marches on, I brought home the love of my life, my sunshine lady, who will burn bright through all of eternity, never to be cast aside or forgotten. A living, flesh and blood symbol of the adventure and love I found while travelling abroad,” (She told me to say that, but it is mostly true!). I have created such bonds with so many other people I’ve traveled with on these trips, we simply share experiences that no one else will quite comprehend, and that is a treasure that will never be forgotten.

Travelling to me is always such a spiritual journey, and it improves my well-being immensely. The only thing it affects is my bank account, and quite frankly, my bank account can go screw itself. Why is it that we are born on this planet, and so many of us don't get to see much of the planet we call home before we die? In fact, I bet a lot of astronauts rarely get to see a lot of their own planet before they set out to explore other planets. I think everyone should make a point to see the world and embrace its wonders. I know that my travel bug will never give up, and I will always dream of more places to go and leave horcruxes behind.

Until next time,

Dillon