Home

I'm on the verge of tears, but before you start worrying, these are tears of pure joy and bliss! As I reflect on this life of mine and the great things that it has brought me, I truly cannot complain. Life really is beautiful. Here I am on a bus returning from my trip to Paris. I take a look outside and see the gorgeous French countryside painted yellow with spring's blooming flowers, take a deep breath, hold it, release and smile. This is my life! The universe has brought all the pieces together for me and I am so grateful. 

I am headed back home to Brussels. Home? Yes, Brussels is now my home. In a few months who knows where my new home will be, but that is absolutely fine. Home is where memories are made even if only temporary. Home is where my family is from in Warsaw, Szczecin and Plock, Poland. It's where I spent a summer in Puebla and the fall in Guanajuato, Mexico. It's where I got my TEFL certification in Sevilla, Spain and of course Berlin, Lauingen and Radefeld, Germany. Home is where I grew up in Londonderry, NH and where I was born in Methuen, Massachusetts. Home is where I went to college and lived in all those seacoast towns in NH. Home is the Penobscot Bay off the coast of Maine where I watched the sun set over the water every evening before falling asleep. It's the cliffs of Lima, Peru and the beautiful Buenos Aires, Argentina. Home is the people that I shared these experiences with in all these countries whether good or bad. It's the places I think about that have influenced me to become who I am today. In this life of mine, I will experience many new homes each with new and exciting experiences.

"Far from home, and we're all alone, but we're so happy."

Hopefully, within these places I call home, I have touched someones life in some form, if not anything, except for paying it forward.  Everyone who I have crossed paths with in my life has had an impact on who I am today, however large or small. The concept may seem simple, but I feel that people are living their lives so fast that they lack the time to reflect and realize this. Some people have had an enormous influence on the way I think and how I want to be perceived. Others I may only have briefly met and their impact on me has been stronger than those I may have known for years. I hope that all these people know how much they mean to me whether or not they are a part of my life anymore. One thing that I have learned is that life really does work in mysterious ways. Sometimes it brings people back from your past to continue molding you into the person you're meant to be, as if, their initial encounter was just an introduction, and the reunion is the real journey.

"All that's left is a ghost of you.. just let go and we'll meet again soon."