One of the things I like most about traveling is that you don’t have to work very hard to be childlike. On any given day, children have a very strong chance of seeing something they’ve never seen before. The older we get, the more things we’ve seen, making the chance of seeing something new less likely. It is certainly possible to see something new everyday no matter how old you are; you just have to work a little harder.
But when you’re traveling, away from your normal routine, somehow life has a way of seeming brand new. As I spend most of my time in Wisconsin, it is not every day that I get to see the sun set over the Gulf of Mexico, plunging itself into the purple and orange horizon. It’s not often that I have the chance to take my daily walk along a shell strewn beach as waves lap at my feet. And the last time I had the opportunity to see pods of dolphins playing in their natural habitat was — never. I am sure these things are nothing new for the people who live here. Ho-hum. No big deal. But that’s not the point. This stuff is new to me, just as the rolling autumn hills and stunning rock formations of Wisconsin would be new to the residents here in Tampa Bay. For me, traveling is a magic elixir that helps me to renew my sense of wonder and change my state of mind. It’s amazing how much our perspective changes when we take the time to look for something new.
[tags]dolphins, travel, Tampa, Florida[/tags]
Good point Jason. I love to travel and see new things, from the dusty desert community I live in, to the green forests of the Northeast, and everywhere in between. But, I’ve never really thought about why I loved to do so, and experience new places, new people…new everything. Maybe it’s some of that child-like curiosity that keeps me looking forward to each year’s vacation and a plane ride somewhere new.
I hope so anyways :)
Guy~