\ˈwän-dər\

define:Wandering

MerriamWebster.com:

Main Entry:
wan·der
Pronunciation:
\ˈwän-dər\

Etymology:
Middle English wandren, from Old English wandrian; akin to Middle High German wandern to wander, Old English windan to wind, twist
Date:
before 12th century
intransitive verb1 a: to move about without a fixed course, aim, or goal b: to go idly about : ramble 2: to follow a winding course : meander3 a: to go astray (as from a course) : stray b: to go astray morally : err c: to lose normal mental contact : stray in thought transitive verb: to roam over
— wander noun
— wan·der·er \-dər-ər\ noun
synonyms wander , roam , ramble , rove , traipse , meander mean to go about from place to place usually without a plan or definite purpose. wander implies an absence of or an indifference to a fixed course . roam suggests wandering about freely and often far afield . ramble stresses carelessness and indifference to one's course or objective . rove suggests vigorous and sometimes purposeful roaming . traipse implies a course that is erratic but may sometimes be purposeful . meander implies a winding or intricate course suggestive of aimless or listless wandering .

I have wandered into the idea of writing my life - my psyche, inner thoughts, the life that sometimes exists quite apart from the outer world - writing it down, in hopes that it may resonate with someone else. Oftentimes I hear my friends moan about not having a "life companion", someone to share themselves with completely, openly, honestly. I feel that way myself as well. All of these ideas, moments in my life where suddenly my mind steps back and I see myself as someone totally foreign, bent over a crying child in the hospital or sitting at a cafe table or being struck by the exhausted beauty of a sleeping traveller's face on an airplane. The constant monologue in my head that chews over the same ideas constantly, my experiences in life refining these ideas, taking away that word, adding this angle.

Starting a blog - one that really reflects the writer, not just allowing them to project the person they wish to be - means becoming vulnerable to complete strangers. Or vulnerable to friends who think they know you, then are surprised when they stumble across your writings on a random Google search.

Who am I? I am a simple follower of the Way of Jesus; a woman; a daughter, sister; a nomadic traveller with a bad case of wanderlust; a competent, compassionate nurse. And perhaps I will become something more, or will discover I am something more through this adventure. Even if it is months until someone reads my posts, and months more til someone writes back, saying they have had a similar experience or emotion - maybe this will allow me to become more fully me.

So here's a toast, smashing the champagne bottle against the steamship's side as it heads out to sea, followed by cheers and hurrahs; here's to the journey, the new destinations, wherever my wanderings may take me.