Lindbergh Quote

In my travel journal there are several quotes. Some quotes I jotted down from a travel book geared towards women who are traveling alone, others are from the travel journal itself as they are provided on some of the journal pages. I'd like to share some of these quotes and what they mean to me.

The first one is a quote by a lady named Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Anne contributed time and time again to aviation and literature. She was a pilot and assisted in surveying transatlantic routes, and she wrote about her travels in books and journals. Wikipedia article.)



"It is difficult today to leave one's family and friends... and yet, when it is done, I find there is a vitality ot being alone that is incredibly precious. Life rushes back into the void, richer, more vivid, fuller than ever." -Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Her words have become a favorite quote of mine. It is very hard to pick up and leave loved ones, especially for a long period of time. It's been hard getting through these last couple months without being able to have dinner with my parents, go run with my Mom or watch a movie with Adam... And just like Anne says, when we do leave, we fill in the emptiness with a renewal of life. Not that my pre-Australia life was in dire need of renewal, but this was an amazing opportunity. I once read a quote that "Luck happens when someone grabs on and goes with an opportunity." This trip is that sort of thing: I've been very lucky and yet, anyone can be just as lucky.

Back to the quote, Anne hits the nail on the head with her description of how life rushes back in: everything is more vibrant. I wasn't particularly fond of her choice of words in using "void." My loved ones are still a major part of my life even when I'm traveling, which is why "fuller than ever" makes such an impact on me: life was full before I came to Australia; now it's fuller. And I suppose life isn't really "richer, more vivid" or "fuller than ever," it's just new to you all over again because you're in a different setting, gaining a fresh perspective. And that's what traveling is to me: a way to make life that much fuller, and a way to gain a new look at life. Traveling has opened my eyes to so many things, thoughts, ideas, concepts, things I've never thought of or realized before. Simply put, traveling is amazing.

-Amanda