Okay, I may have exaggerated a little bit with my title. This isn't just worldly travel. This can be from one city to the next, but everything I am about to talk about is better exemplified by world travel. You will see what I mean in a little bit. If you follow our lives at all, then it is no surprise to you that we are kind of all over the place. I have plenty of frequent flier miles and there is always some kind of suitcase packed in the corner (whether I am going somewhere or just haven't gotten around to unpacking it... sometimes both...) And of all the things I have learned throughout those travels, baseball related or not... I have accumulated a list of favorites:
1) Family (whether given or made) can make distance hard but in the process they show you what true love is.
2) Animals make the world a better place.
3) Try the food, it's okay if you don't like it. Just order something else.
4) Finding an airline that meets your needs (not just the cheapest.. although that is a plus) is a game changer! Also, take the snacks they give you... even when you don't want them... customs lines can get really long!
5) *note to self* Teach my kids every language imaginable.
6) Wear comfortable shoes.
7) Safe and clean public transportation is totally underrated.
and my favorite (topics of the day) are...
8) Laughter is universal and a smile goes a long way.
9) Surrounding yourself with good people is necessary.
10) Being reunited with someone you love is the most incredible feeling... ever!
This post formed as I sat in the bus line at the airport on Friday, when I got back to Japan. I stopped when I heard a girl next to me laughing. You know... one of those genuine belly laughs that makes you smile just hearing it. Who knows what she was laughing at or what her friend said but it made me think back to when we were living in the Dominican and I told a friend that "a smile can go a long way here". I couldn't speak to most of the people there but just simply smiling at the people around me made them smile back. Just because I couldn't speak to anyone didn't mean that they couldn't understand me. *Who knew that little tidbit of info would come in handy again* So there I am standing at the airport and I added to the theory... no matter where I am or what language someone speaks... everyone can understand a good laugh. It is universal. Everyone feels joy. Everybody laughs the same. No matter if I am in the DR, Japan, or the USA every park full of children sounds the same. The giggling, the baseball, the swings creaking... they all bring joy and laughter. My most recent encounter with this theory was at a baseball game (go figure) but the people in front of me realized I was エップラー wife. (My friend Lacey can back me up on this story). At some point they started asking questions and trying to talk to us and I had no idea what was going on. I started to nervous giggle and before we knew it, we were all just smiling and laughing. We had no idea what the other was saying... and heck maybe they were laughing at me and not with me, but who cares. We were all happy.
Smile at someone. Give someone a good laugh... you never know who is listening and needs a good involuntary reason to smile. Because as far as I am concerned... laugher is universal and a smile can go a long way.
Next: Find friends wherever you are... and if they make you feel empowered, worthy, and genuinely happy... keep them. Even if you can't keep them close in distance... keep them close in heart.
Travel has shown me that I know who my real friends are, and I miss them. And no, I am not talking about just the people that I talk to everyday. I mean... lets be honest, I rarely talk to anyone everyday... that would require me to know where my phone is all the time... and that is just not the case haha but I digress... If we talk, text, communicate through the phone, whether it is everyday or bi annually... I hope you already know that you are important and I miss you. But those people are a given, I am really talking about finding people who are in your corner, even when they don't have to be. The people who are pumped to see you when you bump into them at Church. The folks that I don't talk to all the time but that are genuinely surprised and EXCITED to see me because they know that I am living in Japan and they don't expect to see me in Texas... those kind of encounters are blissful. Or the friends that bring you Texas trinkets (or condiments) just so we have a little bit of home to take back to Japan, those people are the real MVP. Having people that just want to see us succeed over here, even when I have never talked to them about the subject. It’s those people that make your life better. Humans that love you and support you and make you happy. All of these are the people that give your life purpose. Whether you are close to them or not... knowing that they believe in you and care about how your life is going... that’s enough to want to live life the right way. So cherish your friends, all of them. Every one of them... from the one you text immediately after you book the flight home to the acquaintance in the parking lot at the grocery story who just wants to know how your life is going. They are all important in how you live your life.
Bottom line: Surround yourself with good people because "who you spend time with is who you become!"
Lastly, traveling is always an incredible experience. It is exciting. It is exhausting. It never ceases to amaze me . The moment I get to see someone that I have missed, just leaves me with a sense of wholeness. It fills my heart right up. Walking out of the airport knowing that my family is waiting. Tucking my phone away because I know Bella is about to pee all over me. *Thats my dog... not a human being...* Even just sending friends a text to say "I'm back!" leaves me knowing that sooner or later I am going to see someone who I love. It's all so uplifting. But then there is Tyler and that is a whole different level. I mean, I guess it is generally the same but it always leaves me breathless. Literally, my heart skips a beat and I swear I stop breathing for a split second. Finding a soulmate that I get to travel with has been a blessing. But reuniting with him after I am gone for awhile or when he walks through the door after a long road trip, usually makes me even more grateful. There is no feeling like the one when you get to wrap your arms around the person you love and tell them that you missed them. Getting to be breathless for just a second and thanking God for the opportunity to be in that moment, it is incredible.
So... find the people that make you whole... even from across the world and then spread the joy they give you, wherever you are.
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