What drives us, we nomadic types? What causes us to leave stable jobs, lovely homes, friends and family, to throw ourselves out into the world? To force discomfort upon ourselves by the mere act of having no home base, no tribe to reach to for comfort? To live a life outside our comfort zone, both mentally and literally?

When we came back from our 14-month round-the-world backpacking trip, in 2008, Jim’s sister threw us a welcome home party. A couple, mutual friends, gave us a card that read:

And inside penned that they hoped our curiosity was satisfied for awhile.

Less than two months later we, once again, ran away. Away from that stable existence we had returned to. Away from loved ones. Towards the next big adventure down the highway that manifested itself in the manner of a two month drive around the United States.

By now it should be obvious to all, that our curiosity, and our lust for life “out there” has in no way been satisfied. Now nearly eleven months into life back on the road we are happy, healthy, and embracing the new. And yet…

[Restless – Not satisfied to be at rest or in peace; perpetually agitated or in motion; eager for change.]

Even as I explore Latin America, my restless mind wonders where to next? I dream of the food and culture and cheap living of SE Asia. Several cyber friends call Chiang Mai, one of my favorite cities in the world, home and I awake to dreams of storing the camper and flying to Thailand.

Still other friends recently headed to Europe, and a few are preparing to make Africa the location for their own epic road trip. One just finished up several months in Bali and India, two places I can not wait to return to. I want to be there. Quite simply, I want to be everywhere.

My restless heart wants to experience it all. I wish for the ability to magically flit from one place to the next, following whimsy and wherever suits my mood, all while knowing the journey itself is an essential component of the whole.

I am not sure what drives one to be a curiosity seeker, while another is perfectly at ease in the familiar, even within the same family. Perhaps we are not meant to understand the mysterious workings of the universe and, instead, learn the happiness of the pursuit as we each follow your bliss down wherever that winding path may lead. For now, for me, that road, continues to lead me out into the world.