The Last Chapter

(Navyn) My dream was to walk around the world. An orange backpack, all essentials neatly in place. A camera. A baseball hat. My family in tow. To collect memories, listen to different languages, observe cultures and traditions, and have the time to wonder, about so many things. We now have a collective experience, which some day I will try to share, but really I cannot. My only hope now is that I have inspired you to fly, float, roam, drive, dilly dally, explore, camp, swim, traverse, backpack, gallivant, or trek anywhere, everywhere, but somewhere. Pack your bag, leave a forwarding address, send postcards, and write down all that you learn. I assure you, there is nothing better.

I wonder how we will all adapt back into our old lives. Will it be like a distant dream, like nothing even happened, as we quickly get wrapped up into the social scene, play dates, deadlines, sports, grocery shopping, work, house cleaning, or will we live our lives a little differently? Could we all continue living out of a suitcase to cut down on trips to the mall, loads of laundry and unnecessary money spent on things we don’t really need? Will Jolie remember that she travelled the world when she was just nine years old, still not tall enough to see over the immigration officer’s desk without standing on her tiptoes? Will I ever sit down on a comfy couch overlooking a water hole with nothing to do but write down my thoughts and see who will come for a drink before the sun slips past the horizon? Will I have time to sit under a tree with the ladies from the village and spend an hour making beaded bracelets and teaching them songs in Swahili? Will my four girls ever have the chance to be together like this or will each be pulled in a different direction? Will we sit down and eat our meals together? Will we become so distracted by iPhones that we no longer see if others are happy or sad? What will we remember, what will the girls remember? How will it change them? How will they use their newfound knowledge?

I think I know the answer to most of these questions. We will just slip into the routine, and it will be a little bumpy upon re-entry, and that is ok, but hopefully we will able to look at things with a new perspective. Upon landing at Logan Airport in Boston, Halle looks out the window an exclaims, “Wow, Boston is beautiful. Have we ever been here in the summer?” I guess we haven’t seen the colors green and blue in a while. As we drove down 95 South the girls see a billboard announcing that there are cheetahs in Providence. What? At the zoo? Followed by all four of them informing me they will never go to a zoo again because they don’t think animals should be kept out of their natural environments. Our first stop was the grocery store in Barrington where Jolie remarks, “It’s colder than Antarctica in here.” Then Zara hops in her shower and tells me there is something wrong with the water pressure – only to find out that she is just not used to so much water spouting out of a showerhead. Before we had even unpacked, the twins were off to field hockey practice and tell us they will be home after 9:00pm. As I am putting Jolie to bed, she says quietly, “Where are Halle and Zara?” She looks borderline distraught and a tad teary-eyed. I realize what’s wrong when she says, “Well, I just haven’t seen them much today.” As Ernest Hemingway said, “It is good to have an end to a journey to but it is the journey that matters in the end.”

In an attempt to answer the inevitable question, what was your favorite….I made a top ten bucket list (not easy after visiting 24 countries). Put it on your refrigerator and make it happen.

Top Ten Experiences

1. Bungee Jumping, New Zealand
2. Desert Quad Biking, Namibia
3. Microflights in Pokhara, Nepal
4. Glamping in the Okavango Delta, Botswana
5. Celebrating Holi, India
6. Hot Air Ballooning over Bagan, Myanmar
7. Crossing the Drake Passage, Antarctica
8. Swimming with Dolphins, New Zealand
9. Sing Sing Festival, Papua New Guinea
10. Hiking Tiger’s Nest, Bhutan

The list is long of those who made this all possible. First, Paul, without your love of travel and insatiable curiosity, this could never have happened. To my girls, for your adventurous spirits, love for each other, kindness to everyone we met, maturity, and willingness to live outside the box for 7 months. I loved watching the world through your eyes and hope you continue to find excuses to travel the road less travelled whenever you can.

To Dana White of Lead Explorers, first, for inspiring the Salem Explorers to take flight and secondly for meticulously and thoughtfully planning every detail of our sabbatical. To Maria Kasparian and my whole team at Edesia for letting me walk away during an incredibly busy period to have this time with my family. To Heidi Reed, for designing our blog and training me to be an IT director. To Kris Harty, for reading all of our mail and covering the home front, and many, many others behind the scenes.

Thanks for reading and for all your comments and support along the way.

Signing off…over and out.

Navyn