outward bound, in every direction
Wanderlust is an amazing word. You take the word "wander", meaning 'to walk or move without a definite purpose', add the word "lust", meaning 'a passionate desire for something', and you get a word that means a 'strong desire to travel'. The word "travel" can be expanded upon to include: explore, discover, uncover, journey, gallivant, or any number of other synoyms. If you have ever experienced wanderlust I'm sure you are familiar with the underlying symptoms. For those who are uninitiated, it begins with an itch. The itch is not a physical sensation, the itch is more... mental? spiritual? Either way, the itch is impossible to ignore.
I attribute my wanderlust to my upbringing in a military family. From the day I was born, if there was one thing I could count on, it was that every third year of my life meant I would be moving to a new state with new schools, new kids, and new neighborhoods. I was raised in a climate of change. Even after we were no longer a military family, that aspect of my mindset remained. Like clockwork, three years meant it was time to be elsewhere so, I went elsewhere.
From the east coast to (currently) the west coast, I have been fortunate to walk a lot of backroads, hike a lot of trails, interact with some amazing wildlife and bear witness to awe inspiring geological formations . I also am realizing that, it's not enough. There is still so much more for me to see and that itch never really goes away. Luckily, wanderlust is an amazing word.