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Journeys..... and what-not

Recently, I had a conversation with someone from my past. As we were catching up, we were discussing travels and trips. This person has taken a few trips to some beautiful places. That conversation reinvigorated my plans to travel. 

In high school, I was a dual-enrollment student. That just means I was a high school student and college student-simultaneously. Upon graduating high school, I continued attending the community college (Delgado Community College-New Orleans, LA) I had been enrolled in. There are a few professors/instructors I remember. Dr. Hall, a brilliant Russian lady, Dr. A.J. Goubler- who passed away during the semester, and Alvin Mitchell. Then, there was Dr. Sandra Wright, a bohemian-type woman. She was fly in many ways. One class, she showed us on VHS- yes, that long ago- some footage from her travels to South Africa (Johannesburg). I was intrigued and drawn to the country. It has been on my bucket list since. 

Traveling is enriching. It feeds your soul and spirit and shows you how others live. As a human, I am always fascinated with the lives of others: married couples, widows, inmates, terminally ill people, lifelong bachelors (and bachelorettes). Everyone has a story of their journey-good or bad. Stories should be told. Any who.... traveling is something I enjoy. The conversation I mentioned earlier confirmed that I need to just go. Stop being afraid of spending money. Create these memories and moments. Just live! 

A few places I want to go are for pleasure. A few are for spiritual enlightenment. Not so much an Eat Pray Love situation, but something along those lines. I blogged about community and fellowship before. That is what I hope to experience on my journey. So, I am planning to just go. Summer 2027 will take me to a few places. Add some (more) stamps to my passport. 2026 is taking me to a few US states I haven't seen. I am excited to end this year that way. 

Lions and tigers are alike, yet different. They both are apex animals. Both are big cats. Lions, however, are social creatures. They travel in prides. They are more community oriented. Tigers, on the other hand, are solitary creatures. I am a mixture of both. I can travel alone, eat at a restaurant alone, drink at a bar, alone...etc. My thoughts and curiosity of life keep me company. At the end of the night, I am able to unpack my thoughts of what I have observed or experienced. Sometimes, however, I do crave conversation and socialization with others. Though traveling with others may be fun and may even be the wise thing to do-for safety reasons, I have no qualms about going places solo. 2027 may lead me to having a travel blog. Sharing my experiences with others is something I want to do. 

So, yeah, I will be ending the year with visits to different destinations and beginning the year with even more. If you feel the "itch" to go......GO! That is exactly what I will do.

-NR

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