Today, you’re in for a special treat. The Exception has agreed to do a guest post for my site. I’m excited about this because I have really enjoyed getting to know her.
When I first visited her blog, I was struck by how open she is about her life. She’s a single mom and often writes about this. In a recent post, Evolving Dreams: Celebrating My 30s, she talks about how she’s evolved since becoming a single parent. Here’s a quote from this post that I think shows you her character:
With the arrival of my daughter, my dreams changed to some extent. I continued to desire an exciting professional life but I also dreamed of the parent I could be and the life I could give her. No longer was my dream as wrapped in foreign print as it once was. My dream evolved into sharing time with this child, telling her stories, laughing, holding her hand, and experiencing life anew with her.
I think this quote says a lot about who The Exception is and she’s pretty “exceptional.” So, enjoy her words:~)
Summer travel dear to my heart
This summer I used my passport for the first time in years. I didn’t realize just how much I missed my old friend until I felt its cover in my hand, flipped through the pages and handed it to the man at passport control.
When I set my passport aside at the ripe old age of 25, I didn’t anticipate it being the last time in over a decade that I would take an adventure outside the US. I thought I would use it again when I finished graduate school. But when I finished graduate school a new adventure started – parenthood, domestic travel, and a path I could not have anticipated being mine to follow.
This summer I spent time with a good friend of mine. This summer I shared my love for travel with my daughter – who fell in love with travel too.
This summer, I not only delighted in time spent with my passport in countries new and old, I reacquainted myself with a part of me that I didn’t realize was missing.
Having lived in Europe and traveled extensively; having desired a profession that involved travel; and having dreamed of a life that included exposure to other cultures, histories and politics, it is not surprising, in retrospect, that a part of me had curled up and taken a little nap. This summer that part of me yawned, stretched and sprang out of bed ready to rock and roll and travel!
Another place to call home
My adventures this summer were different than any I had taken in the past; most of the countries visited were new to me. Though I enjoyed each new city and its possibilities, I felt comfortable in a certain little city I had not previously considered visiting.
The city spoke to me with its streets, people and buildings. It touched a part of me like only a few places have in the past – the places in which I had known immediately I could live and call home. These places are treasures; gems particular to each in a treasure chest of a world. This summer I added Tallinn, Estonia to the short list of places I could call home.
There is a little bit of magic when a treasure is found. The magic increases tenfold when the treasure found is a part of who we are or a rediscovery of ourselves. I felt a sense of passion long forgotten in this city. This summer I found a little piece of myself on the cobblestone streets of Tallinn, along the ship’s railing as we sailed into Stockholm and in an outdoor café in Copenhagen. I returned to Virginia feeling more alive and more myself than I have in a while.
What about you?
- Have you traveled outside your country?
- What places have you traveled to that have sparked your imagination and why?
- In your travels, have you discovered cities or towns you could call home?
- Have you rediscovered aspects of yourself (or your passions or things you love) that you had let go of years earlier?
So Who is The Exception?
The Exception is a mother, a teacher, a student, a lover of words, a traveler and explorer, a non-conformist without intent; a person of integrity; a supporter of dreams; a believer in risks, a treasure hunter in so many ways that aren’t materialistic; and someone who knows that everyone can fly – it is a matter of trusting the wind and believing flight is possible.
Photo Credit: The Exception
{ 35 comments… read them below or add one }
Exception, this was a wonderful read. And it was a pleasure to get to know you even just a little bit from this. I think Sara has excellent taste if she’s reading the likes of you. Thank you for introducing us, Sara!
@ Tony — You are so nice. The Exception is a wonderful place to visit. I have enjoyed her conversations about her life, her child and her dreams:~)
@Tony – Thank you. I love Sara’s site so being a part of this community is a delight for me – I feel at home here just as I did in Tallinn!
The Exception´s last [type] ..Neither a tourist or a Resident
Thank you, Sara, for introducing us to The Exception.
The Exception, that is so neat – feeling at home in a city you’ve never been before. Intriguing! And how beautiful to share traveling with your daughter and that you could introduce her to new places and new experiences. It must have felt wonderful to get to do something you’ve loved again. I love that your trip had you coming home refreshed and revitalized.
Talon´s last [type] ..Moments
@ Talon — I’m glad you stopped by! The Exception’s story about rediscovering travel is just one of her many stories about adventures in her life. She’s made some very difficult decisions and should be proud of herself for the life she’s created for herself and her daughter.
I loved these lines from her post: “There is a little bit of magic when a treasure is found. The magic increases tenfold when the treasure found is a part of who we are or a rediscovery of ourselves.” I think this shows wisdom far beyond her age:~)
@Talon – Thank you. It was wonderful to share my passion for travel with her though I believe that the greater reward came when we returned. The child she is now is one that is ready to go, open to more experiences, and happily admits that living outside the US would be fun – something she would not have done months earlier. On my return, I also realized that I had been traveling throughout the period not using my passport, but it took leaving the country to fully realize this.
@Sara – We spend so much time looking for treasures buried under layers or rock or in the oceans or in the malls – yet the treasures are often just before our eyes in nature and in those around us. Just as this site is one of the internets many treasures! Thank you for allowing me to share your space today.
The Exception´s last [type] ..Neither a tourist or a Resident
Travel is always fun. Between my husband and I we have lived in 6 different countries at different stages of our lives. You become very thankful for what you have when visiting other countries. Then again, you become aware of how much you don’t have when you see the joy on the faces of those who do not have anything materially.
Colleen´s last [type] ..Bookwalter Winery Offers Free Jazz Funk Concert
@ Colleen — Wow. You and your husband have a lot in common with The Exception!! That’s an interesting observation about traveling to poorer countries:~)
Hi The Exception,
Nice to meet you
Yes, traveling is amazing and we can learn so much from other people, customs and their history. I’m glad you had the chance to rediscover not only new places, but the part of you that was quietly waiting to be awakened.
Twenty years ago I traveled out of my country to the US and it has become home for a long time now. Little by little, as time allows, I’ve been visiting places with my family and getting to know the so many differences and similar elements that conform this huge country. The changing geography and weather while driving is amazing, among so many things that are involved in each state and city.
Raul
Alien Ghost´s last [type] ..Toilet Wisdom
Hi TE! Great to see you here and what a wonderful read!
I think travel is a wonderful gift to give our children. So great that you could share this summer of exploring with each other.
My little family will be off adventuring again in the late fall. I worry about the intercontinental flight for a pre-schooler but it’s a small price to pay for what I expect will be a priceless experience.
As for towns where I feel at home, I could probably live in Siena or Puerto Vallarta or somewhere near the volcano on the Big Island.
It’s wonderful you got to travel with your daughter – The Exception. Memories you will always have together.
I loved Edinburgh, Scotland and the surrounding country. The people were lovely, the weather was perfect and I could have just stayed and stayed.
Lynn´s last [type] ..Fort Peace- twinkle and fragrant
Love the title – Passport to Travel Home – and love the story.
I’ve been around the block in Europe… France, Spain, Italy, Andora and my wife can add Swirzerland, Austria, Belgium, North Africa and Caribbean.
We both planned to come over the the States when we were young, we intended to get a job in Vail Colorado and ski there for a season – got the offer of a job but we also got cold feet and ended up going to the French Alps instead.
One of the things we both regret is not making it over to the USA – but who knows what the future hiols.
Keith Davis´s last [type] ..Two way traffic
I tried to teach all of my children to love travel, so I worked very hard at side jobs to enable them to go with school tours and group explorations in Europe – One lived in Denmark for a year.
I wanted them to be good Global citizens
Last year I went for the first time to see my parents homeland with my oldest daughter. She celebrated 30 and I 60. Our walking tour of Scotland was canceled at the last minute and we ended up on a bus tour of the UK….It was lovely but not what I had my heart set on. Although we did not see my mum’s family estate in the Lake’s District we did see the Scotland countryside and I could find more of my Father there then I had realized was possible.
Now I know I need to go back again.
I went to Hawaii on a business trip and I was not very impressed – did not meet people and have visits and it was so commercial and then they would not accept my credit card…I was hungry for a number of days and felt very guilty adding to their dilemmas and environmental nightmares.
My parent made sure we saw most of Canada every summer exploring another section…and we saw lots of the USA when my father was being a professor at various Universities for Summer Sessions. That was so much fun and certainly exploded my desire to learn and understand.
This was a wonderful post and I thank you Sara for the introduction to THE EXCEPTION…I have seen her comments on other blogs. Nice sharing
Patricia´s last [type] ..SMILING ON A BEAUTIFUL MORNING
@Colleen – Wow – I have lived in two countries and would love to add more to the list. The lessons we can learn from other cultures and countries are those we can’t learn any other way. I know of places in which they have so very little relative to our standards and yet, they are rich in ways that Americans aren’t. I taught in Prague nearly 20 years ago and watched a culture and a country finding itself or learning to find itself. Thanks for your comment.
@Alien Ghost – Nice to meet you too! I have always wondered what it would be like to be a visitor to the US and experience the gifts that we have as I have experienced abroad. I have enjoyed visiting different parts of the US – and am glad that you have been able to explore a little and feel comfortable calling this country home. Are there cities in this country that are more “home” to you?
@ Belinda – Travel is a wonderful gift at any age. I hope that you will write about your adventures flying. My daughter flew throughout the US for years. One flight she sang children’s Spanish songs nearly non stop, and not quietly, for the entire flight from east to west. I thought everyone would clap when we left the plane – but they didn’t!
She has gone from the child that never relaxed on the plane to a wonderful, at home in airports, traveler. And the gifts of travel are priceless.
Exceptional Ten Year Old´s last [type] ..Sharing at The Sharing Connection
@Lynn – I may have created a monster!! My daughter is already planning our next trip and is considering one of her own! Like you, I loved Scotland – even my trip to see Nessie!;)
@Keith – France or CO…? What a choice!
It sounds as if you and your wife have both seen some lovely places and enjoyed some marvelous experiences. The US is definitely worth a visit though I think it is kind of like going to Australia… so much to see and so little time. That said, may I speak for the entire country in welcoming you and your wife anytime!
The Exception´s last [type] ..Sharing at The Sharing Connection
@Patricia – Scotland is a country unlike others I have visited. It is magic or “brilliant” as they say. My family is part Scottish too – my daughter even has a Gaelic name. Definitely worth another trip, a walk through the heather, and a Nessie adventure!
The one thing about travel – and I learned this time and time again – expect the unexpected as it is never exactly what you anticipate or plan. My daughter and I went into this trip without expectations and loved it… and it is challenging to do it with such an open mind as we all want to see and experience something specific when we go. For me, I learned the getting lost, the unexpected, and the unknown turned into the gems that allowed me to see more of the culture and the people.
I love that you and your daughter went together. I will be 60 when my daughter is 30 too – I hope that we can share something as you and your daughter did.
The Exception´s last [type] ..Sharing at The Sharing Connection
Hi Exception.
Do you know… I don’t even have a passport! I travelled to the US years ago and to Hawaii once, but beyond that I haven’t been to too many places. However, there have been places that I’ve gone where they’ve felt strangely familiar to me. There was a spot on the island of Oahu that I felt as if I’d been there before, even though it was my first visit. Now, Bowen Island, not far from Vancouver has the same affect on me. I *could* easily live there.
Davina´s last [type] ..Sitting on Top of the World
Hi TE ..and daughter?! ..fantastic that you had this wonderful opportunity together .. I’ve never been to Scandinavia .. or to the west coast of the old Russias … and I’ve written a post or two – about how the ‘old’ travellers used those routes across the continent & up and down the waterways ..rivers, lake complexes etc .. as an alternative to the Mediterranean routes.
Tallinn sounds so interesting .. quite often people extol its virtues .. and it must be full of history.
What a wonderful way to start celebrating your travel life again, by taking your daughter with you .. glorious memories .. and obviously you’ve imbued her with your love.
Lovely story and tour around .. whetted my appetite .. and now I’m back in the UK .. sometime I can get to this part of the world.
Travel certainly opens up ideas, opportunities and understanding how other lives helps too .. seeing the culture, the myths, folklore, habitat etc .. so much!
Also wonderful material for school projects .. that your daughter will have .. had to just check where Tallinn was geographically .. and learnt something else .. the Baltic Sea has three arms .. the Gulfs of Riga, Finland and Bothnia ..
Your picture is so evocative .. have subscribed to your blog .. so I look forward to seeing more articles of varying descriptions .. and just delighted to have read this – Sara .. thank you for bring TE over here ..
have good weekends everyone .. Hilary
Hilary´s last [type] ..Glyphs- Ps and Qs- Murder
@ Hilary — I’m sure The Exception will on later and reply to your interesting comment. You both share a love of travel in common. It is very nice that The Exception is passing on her love of travel to her daughter, who by the way is really someone special:~)
Thanks for stopping by:~)
@Davina – Exactly!!
It is that feeling that this area, this town, these streets are familiar, as if they have been walked before or as if the area speaks to the heart in some way. It is an intriguing experience especially when there is no connection to that area or it has never been visited before. I have family abroad, thus my daughter and I maintain active passports – but most of the people I know don’t have them.
@Hillary – I learned much about the Baltic this summer. Although I studied the USSR and a little about the Baltic states, I knew and know very little about the region. I will check out the post you mentioned as I didn’t realize it was used for trade as you suggest – and I love your posts anyway as it is learning history in a fun way. Your writing is great. We also visited Gdansk (Danzig) – which my mom enjoyed. I love how different cities and areas speak to people. I loved sharing this trip with my daughter. Sweden has intrigued her for years (Thank you Miss Longstocking) so I was thrilled to take her. I look forward to sharing Ireland with her, the magic of the folklore, the Cliffs, etc…There is just so much to share. Like me, she enjoys history which adds something to any trip and adventure.
The Exception´s last [type] ..Neither a tourist or a Resident
Yeah for you taking your daughter and traveling. I married and had so many kids so fast I did very little traveling. When they were in middle school Florida…high school LA and DC.
Then they left home and hubs and I did a lot of traveling. I’ve been to Mexico, St Thomas, St John, Canada but never Europe. Now daughter no. 3 is a flight attentdant so we fly FREE any where Southwest flies. And other places for a nominal fee. However we keep going back to MI to see other daughters and grandchildren. Love the way this post was written! Welcome home
Tess The Bold Life´s last [type] ..Feeling Jealous Shine Your Light On It…
Hi Sara and Exception! What a delightful post – and delightful person! There is something so free-spirited about traveling it just makes the heart sing! There are so many wonders to experience “out there”.
I had my kids late in life so had quite a bit of traveling in before “settling down”. When they came into my life it was basically camping until they were in high school then we did Mexico a few times and several Caribbean islands. Each time was a magical adventure and I loved seeing familiar old travel haunts through the eyes of my almost grown children.
To tell you the truth, international travel with all the hassles is becoming less and less appealing to me. We’ve had travel nightmares the last few times we’ve left the country and I’m inclined to say, ok, done with that. There is much to see in this country yet so we’ll be keeping it simple from now on.
I’m content to travel vicariously and spare myself any stress. Ha!
hugs
suZen
@ SuZen — Thanks for stopping by and visiting The Exception’s guest post. It is fun to travel with your kids, especially to places you’ve been before…it’s like the place with new eyes:~)
@Tess – It is wonderful that you are able to travel now – especially to see family. I love travel, yet I have also found that it is quite subjective. The new experiences found abroad are equally as wonderful as those found traveling to see family or exploring with children or seeing something through the eyes of an elder. Perhaps travel is more a mind set.
@Suzen – Late in life? Growing up in the southwest, parents had their children just out of high school or college so in that sense, I has my daughter late in life; however, now that I live in the DC area, I find I am actually a “young” parent. Funny how that works.
Seeing things from our kids perspective is such an experience. I loved sharing Stockholm and St Pete’s with my daughter – seeing cities I had visited through her eyes… and then seeing new, for both of us, cities. Traveling is not as challenge free as it once was. I am thankful that my daughter is a seasoned traveled who took to airports like a duck to water, and that I am not one of the many working with toddlers and infants and airplanes!
And the US offers so much – something I have learned and loved learning in the past decade.
The Exception´s last [type] ..Sharing at The Sharing Connection
This is an excellent post.
I like reading these guest posts.
Respect to you for allowing someone else to do that
Arts web show´s last [type] ..Web show ep 2- ‘A crabby old tune’
@Art – It is wonderful to be a guest at different sites – especially one as nice as this!
The Exception´s last [type] ..Sharing at The Sharing Connection
Hi ladies, this is a great post and a nice bit of an insight into The Exception, whom I’ve seen visiting here.
With relation to the questions, I’ve never lived outside the US, but I’ve traveled to Canada twice, Mexico briefly on a trip to CA, and Germany, where I made an even briefer sojourn into France. I’ve enjoyed all these places immensely, and would go back to all except maybe the bus trip to Tijuana. That was like being at a Carnival or a Fair where vendors are showing you their merchandise and trying, very actively, to get you to buy.
I was greatly impressed with the beauty and cleanliness of Canada. I visited in Nova Scotia one summer as a child, and then later in Toronto. I was in Germany for a week, and I fell in love with the food. But then much travel for me is all about the food. I would love the chance to visit Spain and Italy someday, and I would like the opportunity to live abroad for a while…also someday, but I like a warm climate, so I am as far north as I want to be a permanent resident.
I can’t say that travel has opened me up to rediscovering myself, but it does recharge the internal batteries.
@ Linda — I find it interesting that for you travel is “all about the food.” I also enjoyed your closing comment. I agree traveling can “recharge the internal batteries!”
Thanks for the visit:~)
Hi M and Sara,
I love the photo at the top of your post. Yow! Beautiful!
Sara, thanks for having The Exception here today. What a lovely soul to bring to your clubhouse.
Also, when I read this in your bio (“everyone can fly – it is a matter of trusting the wind and believing flight is possible.”) it gave me the chills, in a good way. I can remember trying so hard to fly when I was a little girl. I just knew I could do it. I even made up a chant that I’d hoped would enliven the woodland nymphs and good witches to help me fly. I still try.
Thanks so much for sharing this post, it really speaks to me. I traveled quite a bit in my 20s and early 30s. I also lived in Germany for about year. I love Europe and can easily imagine living there. When I traveled to the Czech Republic, I felt like I was home. It happens to be my grandparents’ homeland before they moved here, and I felt like everyone looked like me (kinda). They were so very kind and loving. I really love traveling, so I’m hoping to kick Ms. MS in the pants sooner rather than later so I can get my traveling groove back on.
Kudos to you and your daughter, M, this is really great. (Thanks again, Sara!)
~xo
Lori´s last [type] ..Describe Your Awesomeness
@ Lori — That’s not my photo. That was taken by The Exception’s mother. It is a beautiful photograph:~) I agree The Exception is a lovely soul and I’m lucky she wants to be part of my “clubhouse.”
Thanks for stopping by:~)
@Linda – The southwestern border is an experience/adventure within itself! I have not been in Canada – and it is a country high on my list. I have heard such lovely things about it – and the people seem delightful. One day…
And yes, food and travel go hand in hand – I have tried chocolate, bread, and cheese in each country I have visited… and that is the way to go!!
@Lori- I ended up in Prague completely by accident. Czechoslovakia was not a country high on my list; yet, I spent a year there and watch the country split, the people grow, and the West come in like gangbusters. When we are open to opportunities, they definitely do appear and what choice do we have but to take them ! ? I fell in love with their potato pancakes, a little town called Karlovyvary, and the Charles river bridge. I so Prague as the worker bee I was – gray, dirty, covered in coal smoke, and with little money to buy what the West was selling. My experiences there are probably a book in themselves. It is a place dear to my heart.
And travel – all in the mind!! It is funny as I love it so and yet I can’t see half of what there is to see – it lives largely in my mind. I hear that they are doing wondrous things right now to give vision back to the blind so… there is a change in my future… and I would guess technology is catching up with MS too!
Lori – You do fly!!
The Exception´s last [type] ..Sharing at The Sharing Connection
Thank you Sara for opening your space to TE.
TE..
Incredible..I am struck by the depth and richness of your writing..always a treat for me to read..and your Love so genuine, so real…
My children got their passports when they were 8 & 6…at the time i was getting my first passport..I tried to explain how *lucky* they were to have something I’d waited much of my life for..
That’s the treasure I find within parenting..yes, single parenting has its own challenges..but the treat is that I can break any cycle I choose, and celebrate any moment I choose..The things I didn’t have as a child, I may provide for my children..and they soak up the joy and wonder of just “being” so greatly enjoy all of the added gifts placed within our life..
You know in the quote you wished you could fly..all of my life I’ve wanted to fly, and guess what TE, now we (you, me, all of us) are soaring…can you feel it????
And my children..well..they absolutely *believe* they can fly, so they do…
Joy´s last [type] ..Fearless Fun Friday- Soar…
@ Joy — I know The Exception will appreciate your thoughtful comment. I liked what you said about being a single parent and breaking any cycle or celebrating any moment that YOU choose. My kids got their passports at very young age and I don’t think they really understood what it meant. My eldest, however, definitely learned as you grew and traveled frequently on her own.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Joy:~)
@Joy – Thank you. This experience was one close to my heart. Our time in Tallinn was about the local flavor, the art, the people – It was relaxed with time to soak up everything. It is that which I loved experiencing again (and a lot more) and that which I loved giving my daughter. So often I give her the experiences I can and other times I remember that the experience can be just “being” in a place and doesn’t avhe to be about “doing” something.
Single parenting – It is a gift that I embraced nearly 11.5 years ago – and I have never stopped. You are right Joy, we fly… we can all fly if we allow ourselves to feel and trust the air beneath our wings and that our hearts can take us there! I grew up in a small town, so my daughter’s life is full of experiences and opportunities I did not ahve. I would prefer her not have some of them but I have come to accept that her path/her life is different than mine. The most loving way I can parent her is to do my best, accept her, trust, give her information, and let her go.
Thank you for your thoughts and comments. This experience is new for me and has been fun…
The Exception´s last [type] ..Sharing at The Sharing Connection
@Sara –
Thank you!!
Thank you so for this opportunity and for the experience of the post and for the last few weeks getting to know you.
The Exception´s last [type] ..Sharing at The Sharing Connection