Along For The Ride

One of the most amazing things about travelling is the opportunity to observe cultures and ways of life and living, in the places you visit.                                               

My vantage point on the back of a motor cycle gave me much to view, observe, and contemplate, as we rode through many idyllic towns and villages.
                 

I find enjoyment in some of the simplest things, from cheerful laundry stretched out on clotheslines, and friendly chairs on front porches.
                                           

There's a welcoming persona in seeing people working in their gardens and homes and offering a wave when  you pass by.
                     

Beauty comes in so many forms, and I felt it was a gift to be able to partake of a grand feast of it.
                                          

One word seemed to preside in the meandering lane ways and spectacular vistas.    Belonging. 

be·long

bəˈlôNG/

verb

gerund or present participle: belonging

1. 1.

   (of a thing) be rightly placed in a specified position.

   
   
2. 2.

   (of a person) fit in a specified place or environment.

   
   

   synonyms:

   fit in, be suited to, have a rightful place, have a home.

                                                       

Isn't this the longing in all of us?

The last time my second daughter (who is trying to figure out her life right now) was home, I hugged her long, and I told her "I am praying that you find your place you belong, and you belong where you're placed.
                                 

Belonging. I see it in the eyes of the dusty gentleman sitting in his pick up truck at night, staring across the river at low tide. We exchange a greeting and smile and something recognizable is there.
                                                  

Belonging. I see it again in the Dad and daughter laughing, chasing their dog by the waters edge.

I see it from the lady who is shaking a mat over the veranda as we pass by, and I even  catch a fleeting glimpse of it from the old woman watering her tiny garden beside the freeway.

Belonging in an earthly sense, is essential to full and rich living. Resting in what is and isn't, the power we have and don't, are key components to thriving in our belonging
                                           

As we bid au revoir to a luxurious, care free week, and return home, I do so with a grateful heart, that's steeped in my place of belonging.


the first night we were away, I received a message from my youngest...it said, "Did you reach your destination yet?"
in the last town we visited this timely reminder was in the window...

                                                               

Happy Travels to you today friend.