To The Women Who Wander

To the women who wander, remember this, your courageous steps made toward learning this wide world, its people, its nuances and details and sweeping landscapes, is a testament to the curiosity within us all. But the stark difference between you, dear Dame Traveler, and those who are happy to just stay put is this… you fearlessly open your arms to the possibility of what this world has to show you. You fear not about the tribulations of trying to navigate coarse waters or bumpy backroads, because you know that no matter the end destination is, you will learn and you will grow.

To the women who wander, let you commit this to memory, follow where your footsteps guide you. For you are the dreamer, the maker, the seeker you read about in storybooks and anthologies of world explorers. Let your misty-eyed wonderings lead you to wander wherever your heart desires. You are more than your degree, your pinned locations, your checkins and your baggage. You are a person of this world hellbent on seeing, savoring and experiencing all that you can collect through the places you inhabit and the people you meet.

Delight in the fact that you are a world explorer. At one time, the names of the world navigators were once only fathers, sons, brothers, uncles and nephews. That time is long gone. And you, you free feathered woman, are a legendary change in perspective. You are atop a ship, scanning the broad horizon, you are a captain of your explorations. Every day you pack a nap-sack like Huckleberry Finn. You trek with confidence and pride as if just like a conquistador set on your path. And yet, all the while, you are sensitive, you are compassionate, you are a mess, you are a work in progress, and you are a feminine power to be reckoned with. And the greatest power you possess is that ability to dually be resilient and vulnerable all at once.

To the women who wander, know this, you are a divine, curious student of the world. Let it teach you, let it break you, let it lift you back up. Let it lead you to stories that only you could dream up. Wander on, dear heart.