The Trip Home is Far Enough

“Travel far enough to find yourself.” – David Mitchell

If you’ve kept up with me for a while, you know that travel is in my blood. For the last 20 years, I’ve traveled extensively for work and pleasure. Prior to that, I owned a remarkably busy spa and saw a full-time massage clientele which kept me mostly in town.

However, as soon as I was able to get some freedom from that, my wanderlust began in earnest and continued to grow with each passing year.

I still like traveling as it puts me in places new and familiar, with friends I love and friends I have yet to meet. I relish new experiences, landscapes, cultures and cuisine. But as much as I love all the excitement and discovery of being on the road, there is such a thing as being gone too much.

Recently I had the experience of being gone from home for almost a month. I didn't originally plan it this way, but due to a family situation I ended up combining two fairly long trips into one. Over the course of four weeks, I was in seven different locations (two of them were repeated coming and going) and for the most part lived out of one suitcase in my computer bag.

I enjoyed most aspects of my trip, especially all the people I connected with. But wow, I was grateful to get home!

Yesterday, I woke up to realize what a lovely experience it is to live in a healing space I intentionally created, surrounded by beauty, warmth and meaning. For example, from where I lay in bed, I am surrounded by three corners of art lovingly created by some of the most important women in my life and family:

• a stunning framed needlepoint tree crafted by my mother;

• a delicate tree-filled landscape after a storm, done in watercolor by my grandmother; and

• a photo I call “The Gratitude Tree” which I took at a park I love.

This triangulation of creative, mothering, feminine energy – and trees – surrounds and heals me in a deep way that I didn't know I wanted or needed until it was coming together. Though both my mom and grandmother passed on many years ago – which left me feeling alone at various times – this intentional family “gallery” is allowing me to reconnect with the energy of their love and support. It's also helping me recognize some of our common bonds beyond being family.

The fourth corner hosts a brass pineapple accent table, which usually holds a vase of flowers. I never imagined owning any furniture that paid homage to tropical fruit. However, besides fitting this space perfectly, the pineapple table represents a friend I treasure and who is also spectacular at mothering me. I'm not sure when our pineapple connection began, but at some point, pineapples became “a thing” and we began sending pictures and memes of pineapples to each other. Thus, when I saw the pineapple table, I knew it was mine.

The table-top flowers are something I began buying myself about a year ago. It’s a small gesture of self-love and joy which fills my heart. I relish the idea of giving myself something beautiful just for the sake of the pleasure that it brings.

Being in this room is a healing balm for the sore spots in my heart; day by day it is filling cracks in my spirit which I had ignored for far too long. And although I think a lot of my travel has been a journey to find the healing I wanted; I now see that making the trip home is often far enough to find exactly what I need.

Visit me and learn more about what I’m working on at FeliciaBrown.com!