Wanderlust: a strong desire to travel. I have been filled with wanderlust for the last few weeks. The dawn of spring has heightened this feeling. I truly feel my soul rejuvenating as the sun gets warmer, the birds get louder, and the world begins to explode with an array of color. The earth is waking up, and with it so am I.
Unfortunately, sweet Chester has begun to assault my senses, and not in a positive way. Just getting to Kroger is a feat in itself these days. Route10 is jam packed with people coming and going, and I am stuck in between, just trying to make it to the store to buy milk. My darling husband has a time getting out of our little street just to get to work in the morning, and he leaves at the ungodly hour of 6:30 a.m. The traffic, the people, the smell of fast food restaurants is enough to make anyone want to pack up and leave.
I want to pack up my family, my house and high tail it out of here. Some days I want to move to the Pacific Northwest and others to the beaches of North Carolina. Some weekends I spend an absurd amount of time googling “Homesteads for Sale in VA” and picturing my sweet family living on a farm in the mountains of Virginia.
The feeling of wanting to travel, to move somewhere different from here, is like a terrible itch that I cannot reach to scratch. Oh, I can see some of you now; frowning at the mere mention that Chester is not a perfect place to live. I am not being disloyal to my adopted little town, just honest about my perceptions. When I moved here 11 years ago, it was a much sleepier little place than it is now. The mere thought of the “Super Road” of Route 10 makes me sick with dread. I did not sign up for this when I chose Chester as a place to raise my family; I want big open spaces, clean air, and no traffic. That is why we moved from downtown Richmond (the Fan) to Chester in the first place!
Soon, we will be embarking on a quick little get away, down to our special little place, Kure Beach. I look forward to the sleepy little town alongside the ocean. Quiet mornings on the beach, ice cream on the pier, and the children running wild outside will be a respite from the daily grind. Wanderlust, I do feel it in my bones, and I think all of us do at one time or another. We just want to escape the reality of our current life, where we are beholden to the wage; the extracurricular activities of our children. and the “keeping up with the Joneses.”
Wanderlust is carrying me away, for just a brief period, and who knows, maybe we won’t come back.
