The meaning of return

For an astronaut travelling to the moon, which leg of the journey holds more meaning—the way there, or the way back?

For most of us, the first few times we go somewhere new are thrilling. But returning home—seeing the people we love, settling back into the rhythm of ordinary life—always carries a different kind of meaning.

The act of going gives the act of returning its meaning. But that meaning begins with the people around us before we ever leave.

And if we look beyond travel, “going somewhere new” doesn’t just mean visiting new places. It can also mean gaining something we’ve never had before—owning material things, reaching a financial goal, or earning a promotion. Yet all of those achievements feel richer when we have someone to return to, someone to share them with—a family, a friend, a team that welcomes us back every day.

We all have goals we want to reach, so we set out on our own journeys. But what’s the point of arriving at the destination if, once you get there, you look around and no one’s beside you?

Every journey has both a departure and a return. Today I might lean on you; tomorrow, you might lean on me. That’s the real meaning of travelling—to support one another, to appreciate each other when we’re together, and to be missed when we’re apart.

To have someone waiting for us when we return—that’s worth more than travelling to the farthest edge of the universe and coming back to no one.