Photo of Jonathan Randall Grant by Michael Robert Newsted / Lake Michigan 2014
So here is the situation...
I have for some time been a nomad, spending few months in Paris, a few months in the states, a month in some random land... on repeat. I enjoy traveling because it challenges me, my ideas, my beliefs, and it keeps me humble and trusting. It also allows me to spend time with dear friends, and connect with new ones. I have experienced hospitality that has revolutionized my life, and met kindhearted people in the process. I have no complaints in this.
I am also reminded on a dally basis, that I am living the dream... errrr... at least... someone else's dream. My life almost serves as a demonstration of how to live creatively and adventurously... though I often don't feel like I manage either. MY dream, of course, would be to live in a huge castle filled with artists... but I suppose that I am living a toned-down version of this.
My nomadic lifestyle has distinct advantages... it enables me to keep a fresh batch of energy and inspiration at my fingertips. When I visit friends, I often find them discouraged and uninspired by the daily grind of life. (I have no idea what the daily grind of life is) By being mobile, I hope that I am able to keep my friends energized and creative. That I think is the bright spot of what I do and create.
But I also have this craving for a home... for a community... for a long-term, stable relationship that my current lifestyle has not been been able to facilitate. That is where I am torn... and perhaps this will take years to balance... the desire for stability... and the connection to so many dear people and places around the world. I am currently hanging out with a few of my dearest in Raleigh, and this balance has been placed ever before my vision. I claim to want a home, and yet, part of me is terrified to be tied down... to lose the part of my story that sounds interesting at parties... and part of me is exhausted by the constant travel and re-building.
I am looking for balance, and deciding on a home, and learning to be content in all things.
Perhaps this is the answer... not to want something else... but to love, to be content in, the path on which I am currently traveling.
Jonathan Randall Grant // Culture Keeper