This is pretty much the only word I seem to be able to get out this week. After a pretty amazing and rejuvenating weekend I come back to the chaos and mental fog that has been plaguing me for the past couple weeks. And honestly, I think what I need is a vacation. Thankfully for me, next week offers me the chance at just that.

I have not taken any long trips since December, which is almost 5 months ago. And as spoiled as it might sound, that long without an adventure is VERY unlike me. I have always known that I need a good long trip away every one to two months to recharge my batteries. When I lived in the States, it was much easier with cheap flights and the convenience of having a car. I would often just hop in my car and drive away. Here in Japan, I can’t be so spontaneous. One, because the students need a teacher, as there is no such thing as substitute teachers here. Two, because I don’t own a car. So I am forced to do something I am not the best at, plan.

Next week is a series of Japanese national holidays which is commonly referred to as Golden Week. It couldn’t come at a better time, one month after starting the new school year, which I am still having trouble adjusting to. It also comes at a time of year where I tend to be WAY too introspective and need a good distraction. Last year I took advantage of Golden Week by exploring some lesser known places in my prefecture. This year, I will be venturing out of my prefecture.

The only planning I have done is picking the place and getting the accommodations, leaving myself room for some of the spontaneity that I thrive on. In my daily life, as with most people, everything is pretty much planned to the minute. Work runs on its own schedule, and I have a routine during the week to keep me balanced. Usually this means yoga in the morning and either climbing or the gym in the evening. Sometimes I do mix it up, but there is no real room to be completely spontaneous, unless you count my little mid afternoon walks. My weekends were always where I could let the wind just carry me. But, as I have gotten busier and have started teaching yoga on Sundays, there is less time for that. The frequent weekend trips I once took have had to disappear.

So next week will be a time for me to reconnect with a very crucial part of myself. Something I have let slide in order to work on other parts of me. And as much as I have learned about myself from doing just that, I can’t ignore it any longer…I am a wanderer. I have enjoyed watching many people I love have their own adventures in the past couple months, cheering them on from the comforts of my futon. But now, it is my turn.

It is time to discover somewhere new, to adapt to a new place, to meet new people, and most importantly meet myself once again. As a solo traveler, it is this time alone in a challenging place that stokes the fire of passion I have for life. As the Dalai Lama says, “Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.” And even though this place doesn’t have to be a physical place necessarily, for me, this time, it is. I will bid adieu to the mental fog of garglesplat and meet the world with eyes wide open.