Life is Beautiful

How did I end up here? Well, at some point in the last two years, I made the decision to find the adventure in the everyday. It’s not one easy, simple quick-fix choice that turns water into wine. It’s a tedious journey that makes the hardiest of travelers weary. Those last few kilometers of uphill on a mountain you no longer find reason to conquer. A mountain that demands, with every step, a present-awareness of aching muscles, limited water supply and piercing sunlight.
In the past, I used to worry about the future. And, with retrospect being such a sadistic friend, I came to realize that all that energy I placed into those thoughts distracted me from a beauty so easily taken for granted- a beauty that lies in the present.
Not all of us have the privilege to travel extensively- real life just gets in the way. Whether we are bound by duty, monetary restraints, fear or commitments, we cannot always make the decisions needed to be care-free travelers. An adventurer/ traveler needn't be a grandiose novelty. Adventure is found in the everyday. Adventure lies in seeing that which is so ordinary to some, as exceptional.
Life demands of us tasks that we don’t always see fitting to the life we wish to lead. We can’t always get what we want. But (to elaborate on that old time favorite) if we remain curious, tolerant and practice the art of listening, we may find sometimes- we get what we need.
I've taken into consideration the belief of a dear friend: one’s life should be lived as art. I see people as works of art to be admired; and every encounter, through routine or chance, as an adventure waiting to be had.
No matter where I am in the world- be it right here, as a graduate Ba student earning my living as a waitress, every day I am confronted by people. My usually ordinary life may seem a grey canvas, but the interactions with whatever strange, wonderful (or horrid) human creature I come across, spills color across this canvas.
I feel that the more we pursue the adventure to understand ourselves through others, the more we teach people about themselves and others. Does this not mean all us fellow wayward travelers are better off in this journey of life?
Keep curious. Adapt as gracefully as you can. Practice listening. These principles help us learn and grow. They allow for doors to open when we least expect, and open doors we weren't aware of. And through the door and beyond the doors we travel. Adventure is part of us- we just have to embrace it.