Sunday, March 13, 2016

Oh, The Places You'll Go

I’ve been thinking about travel again quite a bit lately. It’s not something that’s new for me by a long shot. I really do enjoy getting away and seeing new and interesting things. Living in Canada, I am so blessed that we have such a varying landscape. Regardless of who I was with at the time, I do have fond memories of being in the Maritimes and traveling around there. It was different and unique from here in Alberta.

However, as varied as our wonderful country is it’s still much the same from one part to another. I want to go and experience new and different cultures. See incredible sights that I could never see by staying in North America. I want to enrich myself in the most rewarding way that I can at this moment in time. I want to go on an adventure.

Of all the books in the world, the best stories are found between the pages of a Passport.


Quite possibly no truer words have ever been written. I’m an avid reader. I read ALL THE TIME. And all the best stories involve a journey. Wandering travelers on an adventure or quest, such as Lord of the Rings, where Tolkien describes vast landscapes and differing cultures. Or individuals traveling and seeking knowledge, such as Miyamoto Musashi traveling feudal Japan to work on his swordsmanship. Or Homer’s ancient Greek epics The Iliad and The Odyssey. The examples truly are endless. But one of the best books that you could possibly own is your passport.

You are, quite literally, the hero of your own adventure. That adventure is what you call ‘life’. Unfortunately too many people in this world settle for the mundane; the ordinary; the comfortable. They don’t actually live and their adventures revolve around living vicariously through other people via books, or movies, or tabloids. They focus too much on what other people are doing and how they are living their lives that they forget to live their own. Their adventure is blindly following someone else around and wishing that they, themselves, could do something fun and exciting. If that truly is the case, then I want to be the person that someone else lives vicariously through.

If you don't get lost, there's a chance you may never be found.

When I went to Spain Barcelona, it was for a completely different reason than why I want to travel now. I was proving to myself that I COULD go alone and, to be honest, I really didn't do much there. It was a bit of reflecting and getting over whatever it was that I was going through at the start of last year. Looking back, it was definitely what I needed at the time, and as grateful as I am to myself for doing it, I would like to experience more and varied things when I travel. I want to learn about different histories and hear stories of ancient heroes from long ago. I want to find new places and possibly new ways of thinking. I want to grow as a person.

Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you rich.

When most people think of being rich, they think of money and physical possessions. When I think of being rich, I think of having experiences and knowledge. I would much rather enrich my life, not my bank account. I just want to have good friends, plenty of travels, and stories based on experience. Really, is that too much to ask?

Sinceriously,


-Chad

1 comment:

  1. I disagree with your comment, "travel is the only thing you buy that makes you rich". You bought a D&D set (see you last post) and that's made you rich being the price of the books and dice.

    Anything that you buy that enriches your enjoyment of your ride in the satellite that doesn't negatively affect others can buy you riches.

    The most interesting thing I see in over a year's worth of blogging is the discovery of self that I've noticed. You may not be at a point where you can admit it yet but, for someone who has always claimed to never be a people person, the things you've posted about and those that seem to bring you the most joy seem to be relating to people (how's that for a run-on sentence?!?!). Relationship loss, investment in new relationships, travelling and meeting new people, playing D&D with people, going out more often with people... before someone knows it, you may be turning into a
    the people-person you never thought you were. I don't think that's a bad thing. There are so many awesome things you bring to people, it'd really be a shame to hide them away in a hermit's cave. Keep awesoming!

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