It has been almost 3 months since we have been back from our travels. The kids have started high school and middle school and Jeff is settled back into work. I kicked off my job search in earnest and life appears to have returned to normal.

I, however, find myself yearning for another big trip. Perhaps it is the need for the purpose that the last grand gesture fueled. Or, maybe, I am longing to have the same level of intimacy with Jeff and the kids again, away from the distractions of screens and bills. The most obvious answer is that I just need a job. Whatever the reason, there is a growing restlessness inside me that feels the urge to do something big. I want to run hard but don’t know what to run to or from.

After all, despite the counsel of many to slow down, high intensity is my comfort zone.

In this moment, I felt the urge to pull up an email sent to me by one of my favorite people in the world. (He sent it in response to our kick-off of our year of #findingubuntu.) The middle paragraph hit my heart in the most profound way and today, I am trying to be still with it.

“This is unsolicited, free advice, so take it for what it's worth. :) All of these travels will open your hearts in big and surprising ways, and seeing other cultures and meeting grounded people is always so helpful in expanding our world view, but from all my retreats and travels, what strikes me most is that all of the lessons I keep learning are available to me right here at home. That's not at all to suggest not taking the trips...I'm all for them and continue to do them myself, but the connection and love we're all seeking is right here in us, and the opportunities for deeper growth are right across the street, or maybe even in the mirror.”