On this bright yet gray Seattle afternoon, I’m sitting at my kitchen table listening to the spinning hum of the washing machine as I begin to tackle the tip of the travel laundry pile. The floors still shine like they’re brand new, and my kitchen has yet to accumulate the crumbs and stray flour that come with normal use. I’m dreaming up projects I’d like to work on this spring, from whipping my garden into shape to starting the next phase of personalizing the walls of my home. In just a matter of hours it’s inevitable that the freshly-cleaned house–lovingly tended by my parents while I was out of town–will return to its lived-in state, but in the meantime I’m enjoying a clean slate and the ability to look at my house from the perspective of having been away for awhile.
I returned home last night after spending the majority of the past three weeks traveling. I did the math and discovered that I’ve logged approximately 20 thousand air miles and about 40 hours of flying in the past few weeks. Whew. The past few weeks have been pretty amazing, with travel that’s included two of the Hawaiian islands and New Zealand. But now I’m glad to be home. That’s a good feeling. All too often I leave my destination feeling sad to be returning too soon. This time around, I still experienced that bittersweet feeling of leaving, but I think that the time was long enough and the experiences so fulfilling that I am returning home feeling content and with inspiration for all the things I’m looking forward to working on this spring and summer.
What are your favorite parts about returning home after traveling?
Photo taken at Polihale State Park in Kauai. I’ll be sharing more photos soon in the weeks to come, so be sure to follow The Flying Salmon via RSS and on Facebook and Twitter!