Why wanderers know themselves better

   I have been thinking about this for a while and yes, my conclusion is that people who wander are not always lost. There are so many controversies in their lives, so much chaos and movement, spiced with risk, instability, and longing that it seems to be the best condition to get to know oneself in all ways possible. Even though there is no way this lifestyle is suitable for anyone or attractive for everyone who sticks to it, this is the right path with self-omniscience waiting at its end.
   The main reason why I think so is very practical. I am not talking about a person who walks around with a wooden walking-stick and gives strangers advice, even though they were also considered more knowledgeable and experienced than the sedentary ones. Here I am referring to travelers without permanent accommodation, such as international students, couch-surfers, au pair nannies etc. So, when 'the sedentary ones' move out, it becomes an event of a decade. Collecting their stuff, putting it into boxes and getting rid of some of it becomes a burden, because that 'stuff'' turns out to be the result of years and years of piling it up, filling up the space, even without realizing it.
   A modern wanderer cannot afford this luxury. In this case, moving out becomes an annual, seasonal(?), once-in-a-term, or any other kind of a periodical thing. It becomes a well-practiced skill. But the hard thing is, we can never help buying new things,  and we are given things all the time as well. So, the so-called modern wanderer usually encounters the dilemma I will refer to as 'space/value judgement'. Every time he/she moves out, some things have to be refused. One cannot afford to pile up, or to store things somewhere. And if the space is limited, the judgement of personal value has to be done. And yes, even very precious things have to be rid of sometimes. And when the person goes through it again and again, it becomes a lesson for life. What it teaches, however, it not only the 'proficiency' in moving out.
 
   It is, most importantly, self-exploration. Every time you move out, you see how you have changed. Under the light of cardinal changes, some things suddenly seem needless, and new valuables emerge. And this, being so material (we often think the big self-discoveries are made within oneself), becomes a way to know what's happening even before you find the changes within your inner self.

Ponderings of a 20-year-old

This still doesn't sound real. Doesn't feel real. And yet here I am, freshly-baked 20-year-old.
My birthday yesterday was felt much more online than in reality. No big party, crazy stuff or crowds. Facebook posts, messages, coffee with a friend and calls from my precious ones did the trick fantastically. I thought of making a new decade's resolution, but who needs it anyway, not everything's about planning or predicting, or hoping for something better than you have all the time and making deadlines for that. So yes, I discovered this special sort of one-day holiday when I allowed myself to just enjoy what I have and not think about any deadlines, assignments, mess in my room or the storm outside. Enjoy my own company in pyjamas, in front of a laptop with a good movie playing. This might sound miserable, but that's really not the worst there is, after wanting a day to do whatever you want and however you want it, without any regrets or inner conflicts. So there's that :)