My Heart Is Filled With Thankfulness

A very Happy Thanksgiving to my readers in the United States and warm regards to my readers around the world. I want to stop and take a moment this day to reflect upon the many blessings that have been bestowed upon me, particularly the blessing of friendship.

This is a travel blog, but first and foremost I am deeply grateful for my faith and family, pillars upon which everything else is possible.

Today, I want to focus on the generosity of friendship and how that has made travel so sweet. Over the last year, I’ve quite literally traveled the world. Some of the trips have been solo, but many have been in the company of friends (including my wife, who is my best friend and a patient saint who has been steadfastly loyal and supportive).

As much as I love solo travel, there is nothing like traveling with someone else. Sharing memories in places from Paris to Petra and from Copenhagen to Cape Town is a blessing beyond travel itself. Travel is a noble end in itself, but traveling with others is more than icing on the cake, but unlocks a deeper dimension of joy that compounds with travel to create a pinnacle of human exultation.

Life can throw curveballs. I’ve been through a whole lot over the last few years and just as the joy of friendship is a peak, the betrayal of friends represents a deep and dark valley of pain and despair. But sometimes it is necessary to move forward, learn from our mistakes, and not look back. In fact, I would submit that is one path to maturity and one path toward true thanksgiving for those who are true friends.

So as I look back on the year, I am deeply grateful for my friends and for the new friendships that have blossomed. I am thankful that after eight years of marriage my friendship and love for my wife grows deeper and my work-life balance better reflects the priorities that I espouse.

Thanks to all of you for reading this blog, a labor of love, and for your insightful comments (for the most part…).

Wherever you find yourself today, take a moment to give thanks for your friends.

“The sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.”
-Proverbs 27:9B