Take a breath. Calm down. Okay.
Writers should only use exclamation points when they literally want to shout what they’re saying. I rarely shout when when I’m talking like this, so I rarely use exclamation points. Today is an exception.
My brother’s coming to Peru with me. For the first time. His first time leaving the United States. I’m pumped!
Thanks to some other joys surrounding the last four or five days, I haven’t been excited, not really excited like this, until now. It’s hitting me hard.
Ted messaged me a few days ago asking about any last tips I might have for him. He messaged me again today letting me know he’s about to take off. He sounds excited. It’s making me giddy like a school girl.
I started (yes, started) planning out some of what we’ll do together. That’s just adding to the fun. I wouldn’t say I’m generally much of a planner. I dream, and I try to plan big things, but you know at this point a trip exploring the sovereign nation of Peru just hasn’t felt big. Until now. Now that it’s hitting me that my brother’s coming to join me, it’s feeling big.
Remember back when I was walking along the beaches in the south of South Korea? Remember how I wanted to share that moment with my family? That’s why I’m excited.
I’ve had the privilege of traveling with some wonderful friends over the past few years, some of my best friends in fact. I’ll never forget those experiences. This, though, with my brother is the first time I’ll get to travel with someone in my family outside the United States. It’s the first time I’ll get to share what I’ve loved with someone in my family like this.
That’s why I’m shouting in writing. That’s why the exclamation points.
