Wanderlust. I’ve heard this word a million times. I’ve even said it myself once or twice. Just when I feel I’ve settled down somewhere, be it Oregon or Fortaleza, I feel the itch to be somewhere new. The questions is whether this wanderlust wants me to live somewhere new or just to see somewhere new.

Life in Fortaleza is stable. Life in Fortaleza is good. But I get distracted. Distracted by the daily, automatic routine. Wake up. Breakfast. Exercise. Work. Dinner. Friends. Beach. Sleep. This is exactly what I came here for but it’s so routine that I forget how amazing it is sometimes. I get so complacent with my life that I’m starting to use weekends to escape from paradise in search of something unexplored.

Getting away from the city gives me time to reflect on life. Sometimes the obsession of being first in what we do— having the biggest house, the most passport stamps, or the most Instagram followers— distracts us from happiness, which was the reason we started chasing the big house, passport stamps, and Instagram followers in the first place. My mind gets so focused sometimes on my arbitrary goals that I even forget how perfect The Empire Strikes Back is.

Is the movie meaningful in my life? Not at all. But it’s fun. Fun in a simple, silly way that I forget about when I get distracted by trying to measure fun formulaicly. I had much more fun watching it last night than I would have had at the beach, but I’ve become so focused on beaches and new people that I forget sometimes to take a break and just have fun.

If you feel wanderlust, go wander. Just don’t get so focused on the goal that you forget why you’re chasing it.

via Photo Challenge: Wanderlust