Appreciation

I am constantly reminded about opposites. Through darkness, we know the light. Because of hunger, we know what it means to be full. We understand loneliness because we know what it feels like to have a friend and to be surrounded by people we love.

Traveling helps me appreciate home.

Never have I been more grateful for my own shower- to have space and time to myself while bathing. And my own bed in a room with just me in it! Lots of pillows, a soft comforter, and my very own orange curtain blocking out the light in my own room. I'm using the word "own" a lot, yet for me I'm not thinking about it as ownership, it's more just having a space that for an extended period of time has me in it. However, I suppose it's inevitable that a feeling of ownership goes along with that. Hmm, I'll have to think about that more.

Being around different languages makes me appreciate being in a place where I can communicate easily with everyone. Being in a country of primarily one religion makes me marvel at living in a city with such a diversity of beliefs. Surviving out of a small suitcase for 46 days has helped me realize that I have so many possessions. Too many, really. I thought I'd tire of the few clothes I had over the course of my trip. But I didn't! If fact, it often felt like I had too much. We really need very little, yet live in a world of such opulence and excess. Constant consumption and perpetual waste.

So I am thankful for all that I have. I also feel so blessed to have been able to experience the things I have in the past 46 days, and that it has given me an appreciation for all I have now, including such an amazing community of people I love.