10 things I'd like to see while I'm here on Earth (in no particular order)

1) the Eiffel Tower

2) the Aurora Borealis

3) the Great Wall of China

4) the tower of London

5) the lavender fields of Provence

6) Angel Falls in Venezuela

7) the palace of Versailles

8) the pyramids at Giza

9) the ruins of Corinth

10) the Taj Mahal

My mother was the quintessential armchair traveler. My father never brought home the kind of income that allowed for wonderful trips, either in this country or abroad, but the bookshelves in our house were filled with large volumes that showed pictures and told stories of far off lands. I've always thought that this, at least in part, is where my restless nature comes from. I never got the sense from my mother that she was satisfied where she was, or with her life in general, but unfortunately there wasn't much she could do to quell the disappointment she felt about the fate that life had handed her. Although our bloodline was not the same, she managed to find a way to pass this disquieted spirit on to me.

I think from all of this, though, that I'm learning that it's not the destination but the journey that you should hold on to. I'm learning to be more content with where I am and what I have. I'm learning to count the blessing around me. Could this be the real lesson my mother was trying to pass on to me? Is she telling me in her (not so) subtle way not to squander the time I have here on Earth wishing for more, but to be thankful for what I've already been given?

For now, all I can do speculate. But I definitely plan on asking her when I see her again.