I see a world filled with knowledge, waiting to be tapped. Travel is a way to learn.
Ah, relationship fade. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, take a look at Chris Armstrong‘s article here. Go read it. Don’t worry, I’ll wait until you’re done.
“Live your life as you did before you met them.” Isn’t that what Chris said? Determine what constitutes a meaningful life for YOU. It’s OK if you don’t save the world, maybe meaning is more important in your case. Figure out what really matters to YOU.
I see a world filled with knowledge, waiting to be tapped. Travel is a way to learn.
My friend commented that I needed to get a Go-Pro and film my adventures. I never thought about it that way before. Do I truly have adventures? Looking back at my fifty years of life, these are some of the things that stand out in my memories:
- Watching the sunrise atop Cadillac Mt
- The Christmas tour of the Biltmore Estate
- Dinner overlooking Indianapolis at the Eagle’s Nest
- Fountain gazing at the Bellagio
- Tubing down a sugar plantation irrigation system on Kaua’i
- Snorkeling along the reefs in Cozumel
- Joking about the Hope Diamond
- Touring Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water
- Strolling through Buchart Gardens
- Shopping at the Mall of the America
- Eating lobster roll at Ray’s Eats
- Seeing the Northern Lights while camping
- Getting kicks on Route 66
- Gazing at the rainbows over Niagara Falls from a hotel room high above the ice and snow
- Motoring through the valleys in Rocky Mountain National Park
- Window shopping in the Embarcadero at 3am in the morning
- Peeping at the Horsehead Nebula through the university’s high-powered telescope
- Admiring the cherry blossoms along the DC Tidal Basin
Husband #1 and I were poor college students, but we found ways to travel by driving, staying with relatives, and taking advantage of free admissions. Husband #2 and I got around a bit more using cars, planes, and ships. We came and went to places far and wide, sometimes meandering, sometimes with a schedule. No matter where we went, we found something fun to do. I miss having him as a travel buddy but his leaving did not stop my breathing. Or my traveling urges.
I haven’t found one replacement for Husband #2. But I have found several. There are different people I can contact to see if they want to join me on a grand adventure. Right now I’m putting together two big trips: Spain in 2016 and Caribbean in 2017. And at some point, I think I might pack up, sell the house and move to Scotland for a couple of months. Working from home from the Scottish moors…. How Rebecca-ish.
Husband #2 may have left me behind but I’m still a traveler. I’d rather have experiences over things. I’m now in a position where I can make that shift happen. None of my future grandkids will care if I bought one of the first Blu-Ray players, but they might like to hear about Maine or San Francisco or Alaska or the time Oma bobsledded down the Olympic track at Lake Placid.
So how about taking one trip a month in 2016? Just to get out of the house, see a new section of country, eat at a new restaurant, and find out what Small Town, USA has to offer. Visit a new zoo, swim in the hotel pool, go to a different mall, or pack a picnic lunch. Take a friend. Take two friends. Take the kids. Take people so I can bond and share memories.
My plan is to build my own story and then head home, a little tired, a bit wiser, and a heck of a lot happier.
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