I left something behind in the heat and the vastness of this continent, and I was reborn as something I knew I had always been: a wanderess.

Over the years, I had come to understand many things, but one was the clearest of all: you can survive anything if only you have one true friend.

I knew then that this hug had been the greatest teacher of my young life.

In a way, Nellie Smith’s hot chocolate changed everything

There had not been an attachment to it; it wasn't supposed to change me, it wasn't supposed to make me do anything and, for the first time, it had stopped feeling odd or as though I didn't deserve it, I had learnt to let myself be loved.

We can’t conquer the things that are bigger than ourselves; we can’t even escape them. It is the wind that decides our destination, far more than ourselves. All that we are able to do is pack our bags, hop on board, raise the anchor and set the sails. We can only trust the wind and go on and on.

I knew that I never wanted to stop walking; I wanted to see places and somehow understand what this thing called earth was all about. There were so many people out there, and I had to meet them. I felt safe and at home on the roads to nowhere, I felt welcome and protected in the unknown land and I fell in love with the people around me. They were so very similar and still so very different from me. I felt their souls connect to my own, and I knew no greater feeling could ever be given to me.

We were willing to explore and be surprised. Willing to trust that there was beauty out there and love and joy. Ready to have our hearts touched and our souls hugged.

Nothing would ever be the same after I had been hurt so deeply, but to still have the courage to love—that was real bravery, the bravery people talked about in stories and tales.