an object in motion

The first of Newton's laws may be a tad more transcendent than he had intended. Anytime I travel, it seems to stir up more wanderlust.

I recently got back from visiting old friends for the holidays. I've spent the past four Christmases with them, and one of the things I always look forward to is the way they've been able to preserve memories from our time in Senegal so well. I don't know if it's just when I'm there, but the nostalgia is downright tangible.

The inherent problem with this nostalgia is that dredging up all those memories of adventure and internationality bring on an ache for movement and change. Every time I had to re-explain what it is I'm doing in Knoxville and what my plans are for next year/the future, I become less and less excited about the prospect of putting down roots here. Being with those people and completely cut off from my community in Knoxville gave me the freedom to dream about infinite possible alternative futures, set in exotic locales and punctuated by transience.

But those longings dissipated just as quickly as they came on as soon as I rolled back into Knoxville. What had felt like a jail cell slowly closing became a warm blanket enfolding me. But still, in the back of my mind, there's a slight itch in my feet.

Wanderlust, inspired by travel.

Permanence, inspired by stability.

 
 

simple | seasonal

A lot of people talk about the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, and how 12 out of 10 Americans will go into debt from holiday shopping, and how we all need to rediscover the true meaning of blah blah blah. But when it comes down to it, most people I know still go about the whole gift thing in the same old manner.

"What do you want for Christmas?", log into Amazon, credit card info, submit order, send, receive, unpackage, repackage, unwrap, temporary happiness. Repeat.

The first problem is that what I want, isn't always what I need, or even something good for me. When I have to ask someone what they want for Christmas, I feel guilty, because it means I haven't spent enough quality time with them to know what they're interested in and passionate about. Seeing someone open your gift, and knowing that it's just the right thing is pretty great. And you usually don't get that response from a video game or a gift card.

In recent years I've used ministries like Heifer International and World Vision to make donations to specific causes in someone's name. Organisations like Mocha Club and Light Gives Heat and many others work in a similar way, so that your purchase means something more than a quarterly sales figure, it means a livelihood for someone in Africa who won't get ANY presents this year. You get to share the gift of making the world a slightly better place, as cheesy as that sounds.

Gifts that grow. Gifts that help someone grow. Gifts that give back. Gifts that mean something.

But sometimes when it comes down to it, convenience wins out and I have to hit that "submit order" button. Guess there's always next year.

www.adventconspiracy.org/

[thanks for the pictures, Emma]