Looking Forward to Ithaka

Today marks three months since I left Greece and, if luck loves me at all, six months until I go back.

This anniversary had me mulling over the theme of this blog — being Ithaka bound. Essentially, it’s the search for a homeland, external, internal, or both. It’s also a nod to the king of Ithaka, Odysseus, who spent ten tempestuous years trying to get home.

Externally, Ithaka might include the people around us, the environment that surrounds us, and the work that we do. Internally, Ithaka is the place where soul and purpose meet. It’s the place where our lives make the most sense.

In one way or another, I think most of us yearn for Ithaka, even when we’re not on a deliberate quest to find it. Although a deliberate quest may be just what we need.

Odysseus’s journey started when he was forced to leave his island, and everything he knew, to fight a battle in another country. He left with a sense trepidation and foreboding because he knew his journey back would be long and arduous.

I’ll write more later on taking that first step. For now, I wanted to take a trip down memory lane and add some bright colors to a cold winter’s day:

Windmill on beach, Lefkada, Levkada, Lefkas, Levkas, Ithaca, Ithaka, Greece, Greek Islands, Greek travel, homeland