(image created by ren_seabra on pixabay)

This past long weekend, I went to a celebration of life / family reunion. It was wonderful to reconnect with my husband’s big extended clan. All the generations were present, and I enjoyed hearing their personal updates, even though I’m somewhat dismayed to be considered as part of the “elders” now.

In chatting with the “youngers”, I was reminded of the excitement that fall brings, with September marking a time to leave home, as they start university, take a new job, or begin married life. One newlywed couple was planning to move across the country, which would be easy to do in their twenties, with literally no baggage and few attachments.

I remember how carefree I was at that age, able to travel on a whim after working for a short time to sock away some cash. The heady freedom of youth led me down all sorts of paths, from Haiti to Europe, from Denmark down to Turkey and Greece. What a wonderful time I had tripping through all the countries by rail, alone and fearless.  

Meeting new people was the best part. Unabashedly joining into social groups while staying with friends of friends who let me couch surf my way through Europe. There were many fleeting romances and heartbreaks along the way, but when you’re young, you don’t take anything too seriously, always knowing the next adventure was just around the corner. 

We were all sponges for cultural information in our twenties, absorbing all the galleries, music, customs, and food, while laughing as we botched whatever new language we attempted to help us find our way. We voraciously absorbed new information to help us navigate the next adventure. The locals were always so helpful and friendly and would often go the extra mile to walk us to our destination. 

This all came before we developed our jaded, adult set of fears about the world. We were politically naive, never suspicious of people’s motives. We received every encounter at face value, expecting others to be intrinsically good. I wish I could get back to this frame of mind, but alas, the world has worn me down. Now, I hyper-analyze before embarking on any new adventure and often remain frozen in my tracks.

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