A Wanderer's Heart

It seems like just a few days ago I was staring out of my office window at a gray sky, contemplating what the tree line at the end of the parking lot would look like once it was filled with summertime’s leaves. Now, spring has burst onto the scene—verdant green clothing winter’s barren tree limbs with energetic new life; splashes of color spilling out from unexpected places as flowers bloom in glorious shades. I love the vibrancy of spring.

I wanted to get outside this afternoon and so I decided to get take-out from a Thai restaurant downtown during my lunch hour. Walking along the sidewalk, I found myself truly enjoying the day. I just spent a weekend in Savannah with my mom and about thirty other women from around the country for Girlapalooza. Girlapalooza is a girls’ weekend that was started by one of my favorite sheroes, Kak. Every year, same weekend, different location. This year was historic downtown Savannah and I spent the weekend threading my way through the city’s cobblestone streets in my new five-finger Vibrams (love ’em!). Today, waiting at a crosswalk in downtown Asheville, I truly realized for the first time the pleasure of walking around in my own city. Why should I romanticize walking through downtown Savannah and ignore the delights of strolling down Biltmore Avenue? I was trying to wrap my mind around why I had never had this mindset before, and all I could come up with is that I am a Floridian. Floridians typically avoid walking anywhere outside if at all humanly possible. By the time I was old enough to actually appreciate the downtown atmosphere, I lived in Orlando and at the time (I can’t speak for it now), downtown Orlando was a strange mixture of the hood and corporate emptiness. Occasionally I would find myself in downtown Winter Park, but it was too schmaltzy for me at that stage of life. (Now I love downtown Winter Park. Bring on the schmaltz.)

Life is full of beautiful, simple pleasures. I’m realizing that more often than not, what it takes is a change of mindset to open yourself up to true enjoyment. It takes some effort and intention, but it’s so worth it.

Some pictures from Girlapalooza weekend...