Everyday Adventures

Living in a hostel leads you to many interesting conversations with people from quite the range of backgrounds.  People who have travelled the world for months or a year at a time, people who have left their families and moved from their villages to wash sheets for a hostel, people who are having their first backpacking experience, people who are on a short-term missions trip, people who are young, people who are old, people who are doing research and studying issues like mountain gorilla preservation or gender based violence, people who are serious, people who talk a lot, people who keep to themselves, people who like to drink, people who are free-spirited, people who are the life of any and every party, people who are cautious, people who act as if they don’t have a care in the world, and so many more. Every night these people gather in the same room or two and digest their days, swapping stories of life, love, loss and adventure.

I read an article a while ago about a French journalist who was kidnapped by the Taliban and kept prisoner for several months. He eventually lost enough weight to slip out of his shackles and escape through a window.  He had one piece of paper and a pen. On the paper he wrote everything that he was looking forward to doing once he was free.

Here is his list:

After This, Ever Day of Your Life is Bonus:

Health               Forget                  Walking               Conversation                 Brothers

Cities                Scuba Dive          Hugs                    Jokes                             Wine

Ukelele             Outside                Bike                     Ski                                 Lay Quiet

Beauty              Sky                      Concerts              Stay                               Shoes

Heat                  Green                  Freedom              Sister                             Company

Music                Happiness           Cuddle                Shower                          No More Chains                                      

Create               Bath                     Rest                    Grandma                        Forgive                            Be Wrong         Swim                  Change                Talk                               Laugh

Passion              Mom and Dad    Wonder               A Good Movie              Live

Run                   Move                  Kiss Someone     Cook Books                  Wake Up

Girls                  Light                  Seaside                 Doors                            A Glass of Water

Home                Electricity           Friends                 Sit Outside                    See the World

Peace                Suffer                  Clothes                Play                               Good Smell

Sex                   Fall                      Family                 Boobs                            Come Back

Food                 Bed                     Joy                       Kids                              Be Stupid

Family              Cars and Trains    Free Hands         Faith?                            Tender

Love                 Be by Yourself    Shave                  Sun                                Tired

Pain                  Debate                 T.V.                     Be Free                         Clean hair

Call                   Knowing             Travel                  Stay Home                    Porn

Windows          Photos                  Rock N’ Roll!     Rich or Poor                 Win and Lose

When I first read this list I was struck by how similar his list was to a list I made while in the Philippines. I spent a lot of time thinking about my goals and the things I wanted to spend my life doing.  When I thought I had figured it out I wrote it down. I am not trying to compare the Peace Corps with Taliban imprisonment. However, I do think it is important for people to slow down a bit and spend time with themselves, and only themselves, in order to reflect on their lives and what is truly important to them. Hopefully it doesn’t take being kidnapped in Pakistan for this to happen.

The point is, simple things like shaving and eating and looking out windows are on his list, but a career, a house, and a great number of material things aren't mentioned. With the exception of porn, boobs, and girls, my list was almost identical to his list. I had lived my whole life thinking my list would be filled with country names (there is another list for this) and job accomplishments and degrees, but in reality, when i got to the core of what I wanted, my list looks a lot like this one.  

During my hostel conversations, and any conversation I’ve had with someone who is, or just returned from, travelling, I’ve noticed that anyone can live an adventurous, exciting life when they relocate themselves to a new environment. This process takes adjustment and learning.  Simple things like getting food or getting from point A to point B become adventures. When you are in these new environments you are aware of every sight, sound, smell and taste--and it's exciting. It keeps you on your toes, alert and curious. But, when we are in a place we are familiar with, a place we have spent years growing and living in, it is difficult for us to find excitement and a sense of adventure and awe.

I want to be able to find fulfillment and adventure regardless of where I am or how long I have been in that place. I want a walk around the block of a neighborhood that I know like the back of my hand to be as meaningful as a Safari trek through a new land. I want to be able to make discoveries in the little things I overlook everyday, like a view from my window, and I want to be in awe of those discoveries.

People wear their travel stories like badges of honor. Nightly recounts of the days happenings are told as if there is a competition to see who is the best traveller—a title that is awarded to the person who has seen or done the craziest thing.  People, including me, always talk about everything we take for granted back in the States. It’s true that we take a lot of things like running water, good food, medical care etc. But, we also take our ability to see the adventure all around us for granted, and this is something no one ever talks about. When we take this for granted we forget how to see the beauty and excitement of the lives we live, and we stop appreciating the small things like music and the sky.

This definitely does not mean that I want to stop travelling. I hope that I am always able to travel because I do think that travelling provides unique experiences and facilitates the formation of strong relationships between people that are sometimes hard to find in other circumstance. I think the best way to learn about the world is through travelling and talking with people along your journey. And, sometimes, we just need to get a change of scenery to regain our perspective. It does not mean I want to stop traveling. But, it means I want to be more conscious of where I am when I am there. I want to find joy in and through all that I’m surrounded by.

Recently, a few people have asked me what I want to be remembered for and what my life goals are.  What I want to achieve, what I think my greatest goal is, and what I hope my greatest goal continues to be, is that I'm present in my life and the lives of the people I care about in a way that brings happiness and encouragement. I want to be able to find fulfillment and adventure in a trip to get ice cream. I want to be able to find significance regardless of where I am, and I don't want to lose track of it—I don't want to take any moment or thing or person for granted. I want to remember that the simple things are the things that matter, and the simple things are the things that sustain life. Those are my goals, and while I’m working to achieve them I remain thoroughly entertained, and sometimes embarrassed, by the nightly travel stories I hear.