My friend Chad loves to travel. It might stem from growing up in Australia, where one has to fly 5 hours to get to the next country, and traveling is a novelty. Whatever the reason, he’s learned that his travels have led him to meet amazing people and experience different cultures. If he stays home too long, the Wanderlust, as he calls it, pulls him so strongly that he can’t ignore it or refuse the call.
He talks about his wanderlust in personified form. ‘When it calls me…” but I know he wants to call it he or she. To me, the Wanderlust is an unsettled feeling, an inner searching for something we really need to find for ourselves.
Not all of us have a calling to travel. Photographers sometimes wake up with an overwhelming urge to go out and take pictures. They might say their camera calls them, almost like a dog scratching on the door to go for a walk. Musicians say their instruments call them to pick it up and play. B.B. King named his guitar Lucille. I see snowboarders fidget when the first snow falls in the mountains, even if the mountains are a couple hundred miles away (actually, that’s me). I’ve watched surfers running across the beach at dawn to catch the first waves. Artists pick up their paintbrushes or pencils not knowing what’s going to end up on the paper, while writers jump to their keyboards in a flurry.
Some of us like to try different things in order to find out what’s calling us. One day it’s a flea market; the next day a museum; another day a concert or sports event.
I truly believe all of us have had the call come to us in one way or another at times.
Sometimes we answer and sometimes we don’t.
When an unsettled feeling comes over us, we can be sure that we didn’t answer the call.
My theory is the call comes from our inner self or our soul. It knows more what’s better for us.
I get called to a particular vacation or weekend trip, a class or retreat, a project, write a blog, or go for a walk – all kinds of things. I get curious, and find out what it is – then I go.
Have you heard the call?
What happens when you answer?
What happens when you don’t?
Chad visited us for a few days. He shared with us stories of his previous visits as we watched his posts on facebook the preceding weeks before his arrival. He seemed to enjoy everything he did and didn’t seem to judge any experience or prioritize. We introduced him to friends and saw how eager he was to ‘interview’ everyone he met. People seemed to be drawn to him and strangers started conversations. It looked like things just fell into his lap – but then I think he let things happen.
He said that ‘the Universe provides’ what we need. All he has to do is answer the call.
The call can be a long-awaited move to a new lifestyle, or it can be a nice experience that we don’t want to miss. It could be an urge to take a course or apply for a certain job. You never know what it brings you.
Find out what your Wanderlust is….
If you haven’t had a call, or remember doing so, I encourage you to watch out for it for the next couple weeks and see what comes up. ….and let me know what happens.
Please feel free to comment below if you have something to share.
If this post sounds familiar to you, and you want to find out more about wanderlust or calling,
I would be happy to talk to you about it.
You can schedule a free 30 minute consultation with me here
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You can find more stories on my blog: http://www.terrihofstetter.com/blog
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