The Moments That Chase Us
On playing the long game
November 18, 2022
Happy Friday, travelers! I hope you’re staying warm, wherever you are. This week’s issue is a short and sweet reflection with two new books at the end.
I won’t lie to you. This week was overwhelming, personally and professionally.
But each day, I was able to get outside. Teddy bounced around the room at the ripe old age of fifteen (human, not dog years) at the sight of his leash. The sun’s rays warmed my face as I started this email to you. There is a stack of books waiting for me at the library I can’t wait to dig into.
Joy seeps in, even among the madness.
Years ago, bit by the travel blogger bug, I dreamed of becoming a digital nomad. Traveling the world, just me, Nicole,1 and my MacBook Pro. Music City wasn’t even on my mind.
Now, my dreams are bigger. The traveling doesn’t stop at the Journey to 197, but the true surprise is that home revealed itself to me.2
Instead of a frantic, nonstop few years of full-time travel, my life looks like a permanent address with lots of roundtrip flights. And the Journey to 197 will be with me longer than I’d planned, in all the best ways.
After all, why rush? There are sights, moments, places, interactions that have my name on them in the future, all of which are a mystery to me now. To even attempt to control such kismet would be a tragedy.
Instead of placing an arbitrary due date on something as unpredictable as this, I’m playing the long game. Because any dream worth having is measured in years, then days instead of the reverse.
Each seemingly-small moment along the way is magnified when they are spread farther apart. Like the snapshots of joy I experienced this week, those moments are the ones that stay.
They linger, like steam that curls in the air over a street market stall. Like the overwhelming scent of roses in the stairwell of my first Parisian Airbnb. Like the cool, breezy mornings in Angkor. Like a deep breath before doing something new, something scary. Like each mosaic tile in Parc Güell.
In a world where we chase so much, strive as if we weren’t human beings with natural limits, these moments chase us instead. And being found? Well, that’s the best of all.
What’s On My Tray Table
This week, I finished a nonfiction title and started a new book that’s been on my list for years.
The Lord Is My Courage is part self-help, part memoir, part education on our nervous systems. K.J. Ramsey is a licensed therapist and author who, like me, was raised in the Church and had adverse experiences in a faith setting as an adult.
Line by line through Psalm 23, she shares her own spiritual journey in poignant candor, addressing the realities of deep emotional wounds with not a single platitude. I struggle to stay engaged in nonfiction, particularly of the self-help variety, but I do recommend this book.
As of yesterday, I’m about 100 pages into Janet Sesklien Charles’ The Paris Library. Reading this story is like being wrapped in a cozy blanket, even if the subject matter is intense.
Odile is a young French woman living in Paris at the dawn of the war. Unlike most young ladies in that time and culture, she pursues a job at the American Library. Along with her newfound independence comes a heartwarming, fledgling romance and foreshadowing of her role under occupation. I can’t wait to keep reading, and I’ll share my review next time.
No From the Aisle Seat next Friday, since Thursday is Thanksgiving in the States. The next Friday email will arrive on December 2nd!
Be brave and stay that way,
Sarah
P.s. I bought a ticket to Country #26 this morning. I’ll share once I’ve returned. Any guesses as to the destination?
If you’re new and don’t know Nicole, she’s my little pink suitcase.
I would cheat on Nashville for New York or Paris, though. Just saying.
Can't wait to see what # 27 is!
BTW, my husband loves Nashville. Pretty sure he would move there in a minute given the chance.
I have the KJ Ramsey book. I don't read a ton of non–fiction while in seminary, but I've considered putting that one on my list for December when I'm between quarters! Glad to hear you are liking it.