Roam

The envelope was on the table with the other mail. It looked vaguely nondescript yet important at the same time. The "new-car" smell was the first thing I noticed when I opened the envelope. In a new car, that combination of volatile organic compounds released into the air come from sources such as cleaning and lubricating compounds, paint, carpeting, leather and vinyl treatments, latex glue, gasoline and exhaust fumes.

There was no car in this envelope. It does provide an opportunity to travel, but unlike a car it does not require gas or oil, tires or maintenance. The odor of plastic, glue and paper that filled my nostrils was from my passport.

The blue book with its gold-embossed eagle, the blank pages, full of potential, waiting to be filled with a stamp, in turn filling the holder with knowledge and experience. The ups and downs of travel, the vivid experiences, the shared journeys...all wrapped up in a passport.

I have my paternal grandfather's original passport from when he left Italy in 1926, and now I have my own. Despite the 85 years that separate the two, there exists a tangible link to the heritage of my past and well as my future, as in 2012 we plan to travel to Italy, to visit the land of my ancestors, to connect with relatives we have never seen and attempt to fill the gaps that exist in our family tree.