Lessons Learned

I learned a lot of things this summer when I traveled to Italy. I learned so much about history and art and religion. I learned about a different culture and communicated with new words and gestures. I navigated new cities and tasted new foods. I participated in Italian superstitions and witnessed the most amazing architecture. It was one of the very best experiences of my life.

But one lesson I learned was unexpected. I've been trying to describe it in my own words for weeks, but have failed, so I think the best way to illustrate this lesson is through something a fellow traveler said. One girl in my tour group was asked if she was glad she went on this trip without her boyfriend of if she missed him. Her response was something like this:

"I am so glad I did this on my own. It makes me feel confident in myself as an individual. I'm so glad I was able to enjoy the things that make me happy without constantly worrying if he was happy. But...I still wish he was here. It's not that I need him. It's just that when I'm seeing and experiencing such amazing things, I want to turn to someone I love and share it."

I may not have a boyfriend, but I had a similar feeling all the time in Italy. People say that trips like these help you "find yourself", but what I found out about myself is regardless of how independent I am, I like to share. When a tour guide made a joke, I wanted to turn and see someone else laughing. As I stood in awe in front of the Statue of David, I instantly wanted to share the moment with people close to me. I wanted to say, "You should try this" to someone at my table each time I ate something fabulous. In fact, despite my antisocial tendencies, I did reach out to many people in my group. Even with strangers, swimming together in Monterosso and dancing together in Florence and watching soccer together in a pub in Rome made up some of the most beautiful, memorable moments of the trip.

I think life is about human connections and shared experiences. My best days at work are those where I make a connection with a student. And my best personal days are when I laugh with someone or listen to a story.  So, as this new school year gets started, I plan to share myself and my experiences as much as possible. Like my friend on the tour said, it's not that I need someone. I am confident in myself. It's just that when I'm happy, why not share that happiness? When I'm sad or upset, why hold that all by myself? We aren't meant to live in isolation. We are meant to share.