This is totally unrelated to what we post about here, and yet completely related at the same time. I went to watch “The Grey” at the movie theater the other day (skip it, by the way, unless you’re already a manic depressive and it’s soothing to see a stranded group of oilmen slowly get devoured by a ravenous group of oversized wolves). Anyways, I was pleasantly surprised to see a posterboard for a movie entitled, “Wanderlust.”
Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd star in this comedy in which a Manhattan couple, tired of the stress and rigmarole of everyday life, seeks an escape. If I had written the script, I’d have sent them out of the country, but as it is they find themselves in a hippie nudist colony (yes, it is a Judd Apatow movie). Before you watch, I will warn you that the movie is rated “R” and the trailer doesn’t hide it.
Obviously, this isn’t exactly what we’re after with WorldWanderlusting, but the way the average couple tires of the stress and tediousness of day-to-day life is true to form. And it is exactly that which is our enemy. We are arms-dealers in the war of monotony vs. adventure and excitement. It is a sad fact that most people simply raise their white flag in surrender to boredom and sameness. They’re overpowered by the battle-call of the humdrum, “we can’t afford to do things like that.” They cower from the challenge with phrases like “we can’t find a babysitter,” and “traveling to those places isn’t safe.”
We just won’t tolerate weakness like that. We won’t let them win. We soak in the refreshing springs of civilizations’ celebrations. We gorge on the sweet variety of global gluttony. We learn the intriguing history of local legends. We wanderlust.
At times we’ve questioned our decision to use the term in the name of our blog, yet it is so central to what we’re after, we have no choice but to use it. Most people are fairly unfamiliar with the word, and unfortunately, the concept. “Wanderlust” is a loanword from German, and is defined as “a very strong or irresistible impulse to travel.”
We’ve got it, and we hope you do, too.
