I finally got the chance to go see my friend in Florida, and it was amazingly great! Not just because she and I struggle with many of the same issues, so I can completely be myself around her., but because I love spending face to face time rather than just on the phone and it does soothe my (minimal) need for human contact. Random politeness in the supermarket, which is my most common interaction, just doesn't stack up lol.

However, it also physically got me away from here. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my apartment and have worked hard to make it a safe mental haven for me, but there's something completely different about getting on a plane knowing that you're capable of leaving that comfort behind in search of new adventures which has always endeared me to traveling. I go into it knowing that yes, I will spend hours in airports and grabbing horribly overpriced food on the go, but I bring a book or my sewing and know the destination will be worth it.

The last bit of Shawshank Redemption is absolutely spot on in so many ways, but the quote "I find I'm so excited I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain" covers it so well. I felt it when I went to Hong Kong for a month, when I flew to Europe, even when I was driving to Newport, RI in September. It's the destination, not the nitty gritty of the journey, that makes the stress worthwhile, and allows me to appreciate being home with a new perspective as well when I return.

I discovered Wakulla Springs this time around, spent quality time with my friend, and I'm so grateful that I could re-discover that travel excitement again!