Reste Ici

Every time I travel to new places I want to stay. I find myself wondering about what it would be like to live there. I look at the windows of the apartments picturing the stories behind them, and imagine the lives of the people standing in the metro cars. Once I learn to know some locals and say a few phrases I can’t imagine going back anymore. But I do of course. It is just the way my mind works. Adjusting and readjusting.

Sometimes I wonder how much we change inside when we travel to another place. The me in one place turns into another me in a new location. Not in a bad way that would seem like pretending but in a good way that makes it easier to relate to everything and get along smoothly with everyone else in that new place. To allow oneself to change and adjust requires courage and creativity, willingness to throw oneself into the unknown. Relying on the notion that there will be a safety net to catch you, and there will be a time when you go back to the other you.

And when you go back to the other you, you will miss the new you that you just met. Maybe the new you smiled more, found more things to talk about, focused more on being present. Maybe the new you taught you something about you. Still, however much you enjoyed the new you, deep down you know it was just a companion for the ride. Someone who made you understand more, someone who made you a better person, someone who gave you something to carry with you to the adventures ahead. A souvenir that won’t get lost or broken.