Travel is fundamentally satisfying. Each day anticipates the preparation of food, sorting and washing clothes, and packing bags for a half day excursion or transition to the next hostel or hotel. The overarching goal is simple: explore, engage, learn.

Coming home can be confusing—a return to the familiar, yet a return to the norm. Projects left unfinished when bags were packed now echo their reminder of the work that remains. While logistically challenging, living on the road demands simplicity—a half dozen shirts for various occasions, two pairs of pants, socks, underwear, a sweater and mountaineering shell, and one or two pairs of shoes. That’s all you need. There is no ridicule, internal or otherwise, no voice that says “Didn’t you wear that same shirt yesterday?”

I struggle now, as I have so many times before, to rebuild momentum, to find daily joy at home as comes naturally on the road. I tell myself, “Today is for catching up with my team. Tonight I’ll watch a movie. Tomorrow I’ll fix the toilet and clean the watering hole.” One day at a time … as it should be, living as though on the road, at home.

Other essays in What I learned from the Road