I was chatting with a friend the other day who commented that I never travel. I don’t. Ever. Hardly ever. I rarely leave Spartanburg to take a "vacation".

After our conversation, I thought more about it. There was a time in my life when I loved to go, go, go. There was a time in my life when I didn’t think I could get out of Spartanburg fast enough. So I moved away…to Atlanta, Wilmington, NC, Boone, NC then Los Angeles. The only time I traveled when I lived in those places…I traveled to Spartanburg. And now that I’m back in Spartanburg…I go nowhere.

I’m almost 40 and I don’t have a passport. I’ve never even been to New York City. Sometimes I think that is sad. I mean…NYC?!?! How is it that I lived in Los Angeles for almost 3 years yet I’ve never visited NYC? Who knows.

Anyhoo, I started thinking of how happy it makes me that I’m happy where I am. I spent so many years searching for happy. I always thought it would be somewhere besides here. And it wasn’t.  I finally figured out happy is whatever I make it to be.

Don’t get me wrong…I’m not saying I’ll never travel. I enjoy our yearly family beach trip to Edisto although we never stay the whole week because I’m always ready to get home. This past year, we spent a long weekend up in the NC mountains and although I tried to convince David on the first night we should go home the next day…we stayed. And had a blast. We managed to meet some locals and they invited us to their neighborhood party and I loved that, of course. I even met a former Greenville City Councilman there and we talked politics. I guess I’m just drawn to community and politics wherever I go. :)

And I’ve always wanted to visit the Forbidden City and Eastern Europe to see the concentration camps. But, visiting those places takes a lot of money not to mention it will also mean I have to overcome the fear of flying I’ve developed since my children were born.

I used to love to fly. I loved to get to the airport early, hang out at the bar, meet people, watch people and fly off but I’ve only flown once since my children were born and I swore if I ever got off that plane I’d never leave my kids again.

I know, I know. Planes are safer, etc. etc. But, for some reason, I was scared the last time I flew.

So, all those things…I just don’t travel. Which leads me to yet another conversation with a friend.

I was chatting with my buddy Ned over coffee last week when he told me about a presentation he recently saw where the speaker said he believed happiness was linked to community pride—love of community. So I put that conversation with the travel conversation and came to the conclusion that maybe I’m just where I need to be. I see the good in what is around me and it makes my life good. It took me a while to realize that. I spent a lot of time and money searching and while I wouldn’t take anything for those experiences, I am now surrounded by family, great friends and a place that I am willing to work my butt off to make it better…and I couldn’t be happier.

And all the traveling in the world can’t top that because at the end of the day…you always have to come back home.

:) t