The Adventure Begins

To go around the world in 80 years. This is not so much a dream of mine as it is what I hope will be the natural consequence of living. I believe that the world is just too big to sit comfortably in my own local community. There are too many enticing foods, too many interesting people, and too many breathtaking views to just sit at home.
I believe in literally stopping to smell the roses. I believe in pausing to watch the sky come alive with color as the sun drifts off into the horizon for another night. I believe in swimming under a waterfall and lying in the rain. Am I a romantic? Not really. I am just not convinced that working overtime and skipping vacation leads to the good life. I am not sold on the idea that being busy is a good thing. Plenty of busy people rush around so much that they never notice the brilliance of autumn trees. They have no time to find wonder in running through fog that hangs weightlessly off the ground. They don’t even care to ask how birds learn to make nests and how dogs know to pee on hydrants. This world is filled with wonder and I too often forget to be amazed.
That is why I travel. Getting away from home heightens the senses and teaches us to notice all the little things that make life worth living. Traveling teaches me that stars shine brightly away from the city and animals can still be wild. Traveling helps me remember that people are generally kind and helpful and when given the chance, the majority of humans are willing to serve each other. Traveling also reminds me that my culture is just one way to live; it is not the best way, and it is not an inferior way, it is just a way.
Coming home from traveling has great benefits as well. When I return home I notice that the trees can be as beautiful in my own town as they are in the hills of New England. I remember that the lake on the corner from my house is every bit as blue as one in a secluded mountain meadow (although I would not drink from it as I would the latter). I notice that the roses bloom all year and the birds never seem to leave. When I stay home for too long I grow used to these things and my senses are dulled. That is when I know it is time to leave so my senses can be shaken from their slumber.
This belief in the value of traveling and in all the world’s wonders has led me to make a “list for life”. Included in this list are foods I would like to eat, people I want to meet, experiences I would like to enjoy, and places I want to visit. I have over 80 countries I would like to explore and dozens of specific adventures listed for these countries. I understand that some may never be able to pursue a list such as mine and that some may never even want to pursue such a list. For some, camping for an evening at a State Park is a big adventure, for others an adventure might simply be randomly pointing to a map and heading off into the unknown. Any way you look at it, your own journey around the world in 80 years is an adventure worth taking. For me, it is an adventure I must take and one that I will share with you throughout the following entries.
I hope you will find these entries entertaining, inspiring, and informative. Some can be used as travel guides, some as real life “Chicken Soup for the Soul” moments, and some can be printed as used as toilet paper. I will not pretend that you must read these to have a more full life and I won’t be so arrogant to even think they will all be worth reading. Nonetheless I will bring you pieces of my travels to this point in life and hopefully travels that will continue into the future. The entries will be in no particular order but will eventually be archived in a manner that will be easy to navigate. I will post on the beginning of each week. Thanks for reading along… enjoy.