When I first decided to tell people at home that I was planning an around-the-world trip by myself, whether they were nervous for my safety or excited for my adventure, it was inevitable that one of the questions they would ask if I was going to be lonely.

I’ve been dreaming of this trip since at least 2011 (which I can pinpoint thanks to an email that I sent my Little, Tali, that Fall), and nothing, NOTHING was going to stop me from venturing out. I even did a “test trip” last year, 3 weeks backpacking solo in South Korea, to see if I minded being along. Obviously three weeks isn’t quite “however long I feel like it” – but it’s a start.

However, it’s not just being lonely that’s difficult about leaving your family and friends indefinitely. While your life is essentially on pause while you venture around the globe, everyone at home is continuing on with their daily lives. Just like you, they’re having experiences and growing and changing… just because they’re not climbing Mt. Fuji doesn’t mean they’re doing *nothing* with their time.

I’m sure you’re wondering what this all has to do with Thanksgiving – I’m about there…

One of the inevitable things that will happen is that you’ll miss holidays. Many times, these holidays aren’t really a big deal and in a lot of cases, the people you’re with are also celebrating those holidays away from their families and loved ones. However, sometimes that’s just not the case, which is what happened to me this Thursday.

I’m currently in Tanzania, and from Wednesday until a few hours ago, I was on a safari with four other people in the Serengeti and Ngorogoro Crater. My group consisted of two Japanese girls, a Brit and a Czech. You can see where this is going I’m sure… this past Thursday, while we were camping at the lip of the Ngorogoro Crater, was Thanksgiving. And no one else in my group is American.

Truthfully I’ve never really been big on Thanksgiving as a holiday. The whole Columbus and mass genocide aspect of the holiday really… turns me off, you know? I’ve always enjoyed the excuse to get together with family and friends though, so it’s not that I’ve ever been anti-Thanksgiving. I think that’s how most Americans see the holiday though, which is a topic for another day. It’s only relevant here because that’s what I was thinking about when we pulled up to Simba Campsite on November 26^th.

We arrived at our campsite two hours before dinnertime, so there was plenty of free time. I decided to do a little quiet reflection in honor of Thanksgiving, and a smooth, circular path caught my eye. When I traveled in South Korea, I stayed at a temple for a few days, and one of the things we got to participate in was a walking meditation. I haven’t meditated much since I find sitting still difficult (yes I know that’s the point), but I really enjoyed this alternate method when I was there. For some reason that memory popped into my head when I saw the path, and I decided to just take a walk and see where my mind wandered.

I’ve never really been a materialistic person, so I feel like every year I start the same way with what I’m thankful for, even if I’ve never really delved deeply into the idea previously. What’s always mattered to me are my family and friends. My family obviously is who they are and they’re amazing and wonderful and supportive (Hiiii Mom, Bro, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Lara, Aunt Steve, Shay, Ry and Sky!), but they sort of don’t really have a choice in the matter. They’re stuck with me! Hah. However, I’ve really had some amazing friends in my life this year, some of whom have been around for quite some time, and some who just stepped into my life recently. I’m not going to name names, but you’ve got to be grateful as anything when you have people in your life who aren’t obligated to care about you when they do things like:

• Let you live in their home FOR A YEAR because your roommate moved out 2 weeks before lease renewal.
• Listen to all of your horrendous, stupid stories, because you obsess about EVERY LITTLE THING and never complain, not even once, about the fact that you’ve worried about this same thing every consecutive day for the past 3 months.
• Come to Atlantic City for your birthday weekend IN MAY.
• Stay online with you until 5am your time while they’re at their S/O’s surprise party but your team is playing without both of you.
• Offer you to stay in their homes indefinitely while you’re traveling or looking for a job.

As you can see, I have some pretty amazing people in my life, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. This is where my musings about Thanksgiving usually end, because it’s typically time for dinner or dessert or my cousins/brother/someone want to play a game or watch a movie or go for a walk.

This year, however, I was walking alone, so I had more time to think.

The last thing that came to mind when thinking about the “large-scale” things I was thankful for my friends for doing this year, was that I’m so grateful for the people who have been keeping in touch with me while I’ve been away (aaahhhh the circle seems to make sense now, eh?). Even though I’m not physically present, I think about my friends (and fam!) all the time, and while I’m traveling alone, I often wonder if anyone is thinking about me.

Don’t get me wrong here. I’m having an amazing time traveling and being on my own and getting to adventure the way I am right now. And the friends I’ve made so far in my travels have been excellent companions. However… my friends from my “regular” life are something that can’t be replaced, and it’s scary to think that while I’m off adventuring, that I could be replaced in their lives by someone or something new.

It’s terrifying to think that you can become irrelevant.

So for me this year on Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for those of you who take the time out of your day to think of me in some way. For continuing to keep me as a part of your life even though I’m gallivanting through the plains of the Serengeti. Writing on my wall, sending me an email, pinging me on FB messenger, commenting on my blog…. Even just “liking” a photo or a status, to be brutally honest… it puts a smile on my face like almost nothing else.

I don’t know how long I’d be able to chase these rainbows across the globe if I was completely alone. So this year, I’m most thankful for my friends.

Thank you for making me laugh.

Thank you for listening.

Thank you for keeping me in the loop of your lives.

Thank you for giving a damn where I am and what I’m doing.

Thank you for making me relevant.