Wanderlust

Main Entry:
wan·der·lust
Pronunciation:
\ˈwän-dər-ˌləst\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
German, from wandern to wander + Lust desire, pleasure
Date:
1875
: strong longing for or impulse toward wandering


I have strong impulses every day that I fight. One is OCD; I struggle not to obsess over everything from cleaning to listening to the same song 50+ times.

The other is my constant desire to see places I've never seen, or places I love to travel to that hold some significance to me. I have wanderlust like a mofo.

It distracts me from the mundane, humdrum every day life. Although I seem to excel with a structured life. It's almost like I'm a walking contradiction, I need to know roughly how every day is going to go. I need to know my bills are paid. I need to feel like I'm doing some good in my profession. But then the nagging little voice says "What's down that road? " or "I wonder what I haven't seen." It's an excruciating curiosity.

Don't get me wrong, I'm quite content with my life. I travel when I can and work hard the rest of the time. I have a good time with my friends.

Unfortunately, my husband doesn't have the same gypsy impulses as me. He is not interested in going anywhere unless he can climb a mountain or go scuba diving. We've had a lot of fun on our trips but sometimes I wonder if he's just humoring me.

I hope someday I can learn to be less restless and content to stay in Oklahoma. But unless Oklahoma can come up with some substantial mountains, oceans, or deserts, I don't see that happening.