Her heart welled up with a profound sense of joy as he held her hand and led her down to the playground. They rode on the swing together and he chased her when she tried to get away from him. Suddenly, one of his friends passed by and he gestured to him that he will marry her someday. For a while, she forgot her chaotic life and gave him an acknowledging nod.

The boy has Down Syndrome and Cardiomegaly. The girl was me.

(Source: nydotr)

Inexplicable

I caught this moment and

trapped it in a nest of words

and pretty phrases.

I caught this feeling and

I’m not quite sure

how to let it go. 

Desire to be more than human

It occurs while listening to the loveliest music, watching the sunset, or even sitting alone in the shade. I realize that my human feet are not quick enough to speed me past the starlight and into the sparkling ocean at midnight. I cannot span the wind’s breath and feed comfort to the blades of grass. I cannot speak crimson through waves of blinding sun. I cannot shoot myself across canyons, being the sole guitar strum from a young musician. I cannot free-fall into the strands of brunette hair of a mother as she carries a child, dripping my raindrop limbs as I pace down to sleep upon her eyelashes. I cannot be the green of life flowing through the earth, ocean to the roots of trees and flowers. I cannot be the music or the light or the dark or the stars or the rain. I cannot. Maybe if my hands were more like these unreachable pieces of existence, then my heart could play closer to piano notes instead of a simple rhythmic drumming in my chest. Maybe if I could unfold my eyes to become landscapes of shimmering valleys and lakes, then the world could see what I want to be and how I want it so badly.

Yet, I suppose it is with this desire that makes me human. I suppose that is the strangest part of it all. Human beings are human in their desire to be anything but human.

Date a girl who travels

Date a girl who travels. Date a girl who would rather save up for out of town trips or day trips than buy new shoes or clothes. She may not look like a fashion plate, but behind that tanned freckled face from all the days out in the sun, lies a mind that can take you places and open a heart that will take you for what you are, not for what you can be. 

Date a girl who travels. You’ll recognize her by the backpack she always carries. She won’t be carrying a dainty handbag; where will she put her travel journal, her pens, and the LED flashlight that’s always attached to her bag’s zipper? In a small purse, how can she bring the small coil of travel string, the wet tissues, the box of cracker, and the bottle of water she’s always ready with, just in case something happens and she can’t go on yet? 

Yes, a girl who travels knows that anytime, anything can happen and she just has to be prepared with it. Nothing takes her by surprise; she takes everything with equanimity. knowing that such things are always part of life. She’s reliable and dependable, traits that she’s learned while on the road.

You’ll also recognize a girl who travels by the fact that she’s always amazed at the world around her, no matter if she’s in her home or in a place that’s totally new. She sees beauty all around her, not just the ones featured in travel guides or shown in postcards. A girl who travels has developed a deeper appreciation for life. She won’t judge you, or pressure you to do things you don’t want to do. She knows to much about the importance of identity and self-efficacy, and she will appreciate all the more if you won’t pretend to be who you’re not. 

You can make mistakes with a girl who travels, and you can also be as idiosyncratic as you can be. Trust me, she has seen so much worse in her travels, and knows firsthand the vagaries of human nature. 

Date a girl who travels, because when you’re with her, you’ll realize that even though she’s napped at a temple in Angkor Wat, went boating down the Mekong Delta, ran by the streets of Saigon, or went skinny-dipping in the caves in the Philippines, she still retains that humility that is a mark of the real traveler. She knows she’s been to a lot of places, but she’s humbled by the fact that the world is still a big place and she’s only seen a small part of it. Seeing this in her can make you feel all right with yourself too; there’s no need for you to do more, to be more. What you are is enough. 

When you meet a girl who travels. She won’t want expensive gifts; you can buy her (or both of you) cheap tickets to Thailand for the weekend, and she’ll be more than happy to take you to the longest wooden bridge in the country. You don’t even have to go overseas; you can take her out on day trips, caving or hiking, or treat her to a full body massage. 

You can also buy her the little things that she keeps forgetting to buy for herself; that carabiner that will attach her backpack to her seat so that she will feel easier about sleeping on her bus trip, or a backpack cover, a small alarm clock, a money belt, or maybe another sarong that will replace the ones she lost in China.

She won’t mind if you get lost on your way to a date. She knows that oftentimes, the journey is more important than the destination. She will help you see the lighter side of things. She’ll walk along with you, not behind you, pointing out the interesting bits of things you’ll see along the way. Before long, you realize that that yes, the journey has been more memorable than the destination you’ve planned to take her to. 

Is a girl who travels worth it? Yes, she is. So when you find her, keep her. Don’t lose her with all your insecurities and doubts. Because when she says she loves you, she really does. After all, she’s seen so many things, met so many people, and if she had chosen you, better grab that opportunity and thank the gods that you were lucky enough she’s chosen you and not that bloke she met while watching the sun rise in Angkor Wat, or while whitewater rafting in the Padas Gorge in Sabah.

If she says she loves you, she must have seen something in you, something that can always call her back from her travels, something that can anchor her to the world in the way that she wants to after weeks and months of being on the road.

Date a girl who travels. Make her feel safe, warm, and secure. Make her believe that no matter where she goes, and however long she’s gone, you’ll always be there for her, the one that she can call home.

Find a girl who travels. Date her, love her and marry her, and your world will never be the same again.

—

From: Date a girl who travels