Wanderlust

I was born and raised in a suburb of Boston. I went away for college, but only a couple of hours away.

I have a very clear memory of being a teenager and telling everyone that I would live in my hometown for the rest of my life. And then I fell in love with a military man.

To be fair, he wasn't in the military when I fell for him. We were in high school. We went through the normal trials and tribulations of any high school couple, and even broke up, but we were together again before we left for college.

During out senior year, in those months before we found out where his first duty station would be, I remember being terrified that we would be sent overseas. Now I would do anything to live overseas.

Because somewhere in those first couple of years of marriage when we moved among three different places and lived in five different homes, I fell in love with the nomads’ way of life.

Moving no longer seemed like a trial, but an opportunity. Oh sure, each and every move we made had its hardships, and my career never really had a chance to get a foothold, but I just loved the chance to start anew at each new home.

We've been living here for more than eight years.

I thought my children would grow up as military brats. I thought that the constant moving would be hard on them, but I looked forward to the character it would help forge. They would be worldly and maybe speak another language. They would be able to make new friends at a moment’s notice because they would have to. They would be strong.

But fate has dealt us a different hand. My kids have amazing characters forged not by moving hardships but by caring parents and a wonderful school. They are healthy and strong partly thanks to their great pediatrician. They are learning French at school. They are unbelievably good at making friends because of the self-confidence instilled in them by their school friends, teachers, and family.

Now I kind of dread leaving. But we can’t stay here forever and I know we have wonderful opportunities ahead of us. But I've gotten comfortable. Even though I hate the summer heat and miss the cosmopolitan life of the big city, I love the people we've made family here.

It’s time to ramp up my wanderlust again. It’s time to dream of life in England, Germany, or even Alabama. We might not be leaving soon, but we will be leaving someday. And I want to be ready.

As long as I don’t have to go back home to that little Boston suburb, I’ll be happy.