May was a hard month. I turned down a job opportunity. It was the right decision for several reasons, but still the experience evoked a lot of emotions. It’s hard to say no when a yes is nowhere in sight, but it would have been harder to say an unfortunate yes that would have required a year’s commitment and probably left me in a similar position come next summer, with an added heavy burden of regret.

Last month I visited Fort Collins, the place I called home for seven years. While the town is fun and I made some great friends, I was never able to anchor roots or find a solid community. Returning did my heart so much good. Reconnecting with friends and visiting a place containing so many past hurts was healing, reminding me that beauty truly can rise from the ashes. In a way, I was able to finally close a chapter, now finished with a period, and in the future I can visit without the tethered cords of dread.

In just days I will begin a solo road trip, returning to the depths of the south. A place where bits of my heart remain after all these years. A place I swore I’d never love, yet somehow it wove its charm into my very being, forever leaving its mark on the fiber of my DNA. But, it is never about the place, but always about the people. I am excited to visit friends who opened their arms and demonstrated community, the friends who cared and shared life and are now more like family.

There are as many reasons to travel as there are people who travel. And, this trip seems significant for reasons I do not know, and perhaps never will. Maybe I will find something unexpected, or simply find rest in the ordinary lazy summer days blanketed in the heavy humidity. Maybe I will learn something new about myself or life in general, or perhaps I this trip will remind me of the deep contentment found in the familiar.

This trip is an adventure.

With all of the unknowns there will also be the things of which I am sure. I am positive that my time will be full of laughter and tears. I will reconnected with people I dearly love and I will meet new friends along the way. I will spend time in a place I still consider home, and I will end my trip in a city that has somehow always felt like home.

I think traveling is just good for the soul, especially when there are no expectations. It removes us from the predictable and allows us to rub shoulders with people we would never otherwise meet. It broadens our perspective to remind us that this world is big and wide, calling us to step out for new experiences and simply explore.

Do you have any fun travel plans this summer? What are some of your favorite things to do on a road trip?