When Did My Travels Become A Pilgrimage?

I recently read something that initially triggered a response akin to offense in me. That's not a response I've often come across so it was quite unsettling at first. That response faded quickly though as I realized it does not describe me at all and I don't agree with it in any case. It was phrased something like, " travel does not exist without home. If we never return to the place we started, we'd just be wandering, lost. Home is a reflecting surface. A place to measure our growth and enrich it after being infused with the outside world."

Well, I pretty much disagree with everything in this little meme. As I said I realized it does not apply to me, as I'm like the turtle, I take my home with me, so I "return" home every night. "Wherever I lay my head is my home", as the song goes. Sometimes I have a different backyard every day. Some days it's not that exciting and others it's breathtaking! Oh, And believe me I do much reflecting and growing and have been enriched beyond measure.

Since I've started on this journey a bit over a year ago I've grown exponentially, in so many ways. Even my travel has grown or changed at the very least. It began as a frenetic purely external journey to see the country, yes, but to escape also. I've passed through that fire and came out on the other side. Mostly unsinged yet completely transformed. As the Phoenix from the flames. My travels have transformed into more of an inner, as well as outer pilgrimage. Even though I'm still physically traveling and enjoying every minute of it, well except maybe for some extreme temperatures. My journeys now are more a spiritual journey.

I've learned so much about myself and am still learning, I'll always be learning. I've opened up to allow others to view a bit of my inner life too. Which has always before been heavily cloistered behind many fortifications. A result of my fears. Which were a result of my experiences in life. I've begun to open up to allow myself to create more and share more and hopefully help more people by doing so.

But back to the meme. If a person traveled via foot or bicycle or even just went from hotel to hotel and did not carry around a tiny little home or in the case of RVers, a much larger turtle shell of a home with them, I feel as I've felt from a very young age. Travel is mind and spirit expanding. No matter how it's done. Coming back to the place you started is not a requirement of that. In fact long term travel/journeying/ pilgrimage whatever you want to call it. It's life altering. I'm definitely not lost. Nor do I think many others who've done this type of journey feel lost. We possibly start out that way in the beginning or at least, searching. But as the days and miles and experiences pass by and through us they change us. As the saying goes, " Not all who wander are lost". One of my favorite little sayings.

Don't get me wrong, short term travel is awesome, it can be wonderful and even life-altering. But long term pilgrimages are something on another level. There's no need to return to where you started to measure your growth. You feel it, see it, work through it, every minute of every day. And although I've unfortunately not experienced it, I'm quite sure that all the many people who've traveled without a home, on foot, via bicycle or even horse back, or otherwise will tell you it's true for them as well. I've always wanted to embark on that type of journey but never felt like I had the strength and grit for that. I wish I could have but this way suits me just fine especially at this point in my life. I get to sleep in my own bed in my very own little turtle shell every night and yet still see this beautiful country and that's an awesome thing.