I have had the great fortune to have visited some beautiful places the last few years, lodging in rental homes with spectacular views. As I sit on the couch looking out the floor to ceiling wall of windows of the current temporary property, the waters of Rich Pass in Port Orchard, Washington, lay out before me, beyond that a line of trees that can only be found in the Pacific Northwest. I should mention that the trees look black to me, all blending together to form low-hanging dark clouds above the lights of the dwellings across the passage. I will also add that the calm channel looks like flat ice. Despite my inability to see properly, I am stuck in contemplation, wondering how it is that I can ever leave this place when my week is up? Is it possible for me to stay here, perched quietly on a corner of the sofa, so still that the new renters won’t notice me? Or the next and so on?
I will have to go, of course. This is not home. This vista is why they call it a vacation. Two Octobers ago I left the Atlantic Ocean and Nantucket sand behind. Last spring I said goodbye to my beloved red rock formations in Sedona. If I had not packed my bags and bid farewell to those equally stunning locations, I would not be in this spot right now. This applies to real life, as well, the other 50 weeks of the year when we are not on a beach or in the mountains. We cannot linger too long. We can’t remain in our successes or our failures, our sadness or even our joy. The greatest adventure of all is the experience of being a human, with everything that that entails, the highs and lows of a life fully lived. Each night as we lay our heads on our pillows, we must say bon voyage, the next morning we land in a new port of call, even when waking up in our own bed.
The question I should be asking myself isn’t how can I leave, but how can I stay? There is so much more to be explored, not moving on would make that impossible. On the other hand, if I would choose to only return to this house for the rest of my days, I still must first vacate the premises. In all aspects of life, there is no arrival without a departure.
#sisterrain #alittlesightalotofheart #legallyblindtraveler #travel #departingissuchsweetsorrow