Wanderlust: Not all who wander are lost.

There is a quiet culture in our midst that often goes unnoticed. The members of this subculture often slip through the cracks of everyday focus due to the limited exposure they have on the individuals they meet.

These are the 21st century nomads.

They are the people who often wander alone, sometimes journey in pairs, and occasionally crusade in groups. They are those who spend the last days of their current trip looking for survivable transportation to the next destination.

These people experience an involuntary displacement if they stay in one place too long.
Saying that they have the travel bug is akin to serving white zinfandel at a prestigious French wine conference.

Their wanderlust is not a lifestyle choice. It is embedded within.
Everyone has a bit of it in them --- do we not create more versatile technology every day to help us perform our daily activities on the go? (See Article: Blackberry/PDA)

There's a popular saying among the nomads of our time; "Not all who wander are lost."

I have found this to be true more often than not; a belief that is only reinforced in my encounters with these millennium pilgrims.
In fact, I would argue that the ones who are the most lost are those that have this insatiable itch to voyage, yet do not wander.

These cast-aways are cemented to their current longitude-latitude for various reasons. Perhaps an unpaid debt (read: student loans), or a significant other (please don't take this the wrong way -- you know who you are), or some skewed loyalty to the false pretense of a "secure job with good benefits" -- whatever the case may be, these misplaced travelers fight to establish themselves, yet are bewildered when they become distraught by their current situation.

I believe I am one of these global commuters who are merely -- stuck. I've been very pointedly trying to change this. Working two jobs, spending lightly (minus libation of course), telling my landlord I will not be renewing my lease at the end of the year, budgeting twice the required payment of my student loan -- the vagabond spirit calls.

For example, I've never tried foie gras. There are some exceptional restaurants in Chicago that serve foie gras. In fact, Chicago chefs stood as some of the tallest warriors in the rebellion when foie gras was banned.
The problem is, I don't want to try foie gras in Chicago! I want to try foie gras in France!

Of course, I will always have a home in Chicago. I love Chicago. This is my city. A city smack-dab in the middle of the country, yet there's nothing 'middle' about it. The city that emanates culture, character, beauty and a blatant disregard for the rules.

Maybe I have "grass is greener" syndrome. Someday I'll settle down --- maybe.

Yet still the lonely planet cries for a new companion -- someone to see all its wonders, and secrets, and even its ugly faces. So I continue my exploration for the perfect opportunity that will allow me to gain the financial freedom and the flexibility to join the modern nomads.

"All that is gold does not glitter,
not all those who wander are lost;
the old that is strong does not wither,
deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
a light from the shadows shall spring;
renewed shall be blade that was broken,
the crownless again shall be king."
~J.R.R. Tolkien