Recently, I did some traveling for work. Even though some parts of the experience were a little hectic (cancelled flights, weather woes, an unexpected night spent in a city that was neither my destination nor my point of departure), the trip went pretty well.
Getting ready for a trip can be such an exciting thing. Especially if it's a trip you're looking forward to taking. Visiting a new place, seeing different people, and enjoying unique cuisine all add to the sense of adventure it brings...even if the trip for business instead of pleasure.
I love the city I call home, but I also love to travel and experience life from a new perspective. I'm a chronic people-watcher so I always enjoy getting the chance to observe different folks doing what they do. Sometimes I get so focused on my own little daily routine, I can forget that there's a whole big world out there with all sorts of folks who are also focused on their daily routines. When I travel, I'm always reminded of this.
Heading to the airport, bags packed and money in pocket, it felt like something different was on the horizon. A change of scenery, a change of pace, a change of routine can be so good for the soul.
Breakfast in a fancy hotel restaurant, with your own pot of coffee and a thick Sunday New York Times. Crisp linens that I didn't have to launder. My toiletries, neatly lined up along a marble bathroom vanity. A penthouse view of a bustling city. Tiny bottles of shampoo and lotion that magically reappear new & filled each day. A fully stocked bar and gift shop, only an elevator ride away. Someone else who pays the water bill on a giant sparkling tub perfect for bubble baths.
These are just a few of my favorite things about traveling.
My trip was quick, but it gave me the chance to see some things, meet some folks and experience a different setting. And that stirred up something in my creative spirit.
After finishing my last business meeting, I hailed a cab near Washington D.C.'s Union Station and headed to Reagan airport for my flight back to Tennessee.
During the cab ride, I started thinking about traveling and returning home. There's something about travel that gives me a renewed sense of possibility. But it's really more about coming home than it is being somewhere else. After coming home from a trip, I almost feel like I have been given a fresh start. Like it's New Year's Day or something.
Our lives are totally what we make of them. Each minute of each day. Granted, there are plenty of things that are out of our control, but the important stuff (like what we believe and how we treat each other) is ours alone.
You don't have to fly to far away lands to gain a new perspective on things, but sometimes it does help. Albert Einstein said that there are only two ways live life....either everything is a miracle or nothing is.
I like to say that every day is an adventure. In fact, I've had this motto for many years. We can wake up each day and see the opportunities as a great adventure we get to have.
Or we can see it as a never-ending list of tasks we must slog our way through, just barely surviving, always holding our breaths, waiting for the next escape.
Which do you choose?
