Hello, Reader!

Friday night, I was at work.

I spent the evening in the NICU, doing what I love; supporting families through one of the most exciting, frightening, exhausting and vulnerable experiences of their lives.

There is something pretty extraordinary about being invited into those moments. Even on the hard nights, I know I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

And then, less than 24 hours later, I was somewhere completely different. Just a few miles, but a world away.

Saturday night found me outside with a friend, watching hot-air balloons rise into the evening sky at a local festival. Something I've wanted to do for years, but just now made the time to do it.

And somewhere between those two nights, I had one of those little realizations that makes you stop and think:

This is the life.

Not one or the other.

Both. 🩵

The work. The responsibilities. The ordinary days.

And the sunsets. The adventures. The spontaneous plans. The nights spent standing under a sky full of balloons.

For a long time, I think we can fall into the trap of thinking we need to get away from our lives.

We work hard so we can take a vacation.

We get through the busy season so we can finally have some fun.

We push through the responsibilities, telling ourselves we'll make time for the things we want to do later.

And believe me, I will always be a big fan of getting on a plane and seeing what’s on the other side of it. 😉

But maybe travel isn't about escaping the life we have.

Maybe it's about experiencing more of it.

More people.

More places.

More beauty.

More culture.

More conversations with strangers who become friends.

More moments that make us stop and think, Wow. I'm really here.

Sometimes, those moments happen halfway around the world. And sometimes, they happen right in our own backyard.

I think that's the balance I'm learning to appreciate.

There is privilege in all of it.

The privilege of meaningful work.

The privilege of having people who need us.

The privilege of responsibilities that give our days purpose.

And then there's the privilege of stepping away from all of it sometimes. To wander, to wonder, to laugh with a friend, to see something beautiful, to experience something new.

Maybe we don't need to choose between a life we're responsible for and a life we're excited about.

Maybe we can build a life that makes room for both.

That's one of the reasons we wander.

Not to escape our lives.

But to experience more of them.

And if we're lucky, we'll find a little more wonder waiting for us when we get home, too.

That's what Wander for Days is all about. Finding wonder in all the big and little moments. In places near and far. In the ordinary and in the extraordinary.

Wander for days. Remember forever.

With love,

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