The wanderlust factors

In making this decision to take this trip, it has me thinking about the push-pull factors that keep us from, or send us on life's adventures.  While there are a lot of things responsible for this trip, and I plan to delve in to plenty of them over the next few months, I think for me the first factor is my parents.  I was raised in a small town, and was fairly sheltered as a result.  But my parents were wonderful in reducing that shelter as much as possible!  Because of my parents eclectic taste in music I love Placido Domingo as much (well, maybe not AS much) as I love Tom Petty, Talking Heads and AC/DC, Temptations and the Rolling Stones, etc, etc.  My parents provided me with variety, not just in music but I think music is a great gauge of how open someone is...to new ideas, to various perspectives, to life.  My parents also encouraged me to learn about anything I was interested in, any place, any event, and there is no doubt in my mind that learning about the world increased my desire to see it!  My dad and I used to play what is still one of my favorite games, "What would you do if you won the lotto" and my answers always revolved around traveling.  I was admittedly really nervous about telling my parents about my plan, I wasn't sure how they would react.  I mean I am my dad's littlest girl and I'm still my mom's next to littlest girl, with no real definitive plan, by myself...going into the great wide open.  They have both been so understanding and supportive of my plan, they have places to meet me picked out, they have words of advice, of warning, and most of all of love. Thanks you guys, for giving me the dream and the bravery to (finally!) follow it.