Experiences of the Unexperienced

I've been hosed down by a horrified gardener at the Pink Shell in Ft. Myers while being eaten alive by fire ants. I've exchanged knowing glances with a Patrick Henry impersonator while an old woman bombarded him with philosophical questions in Williamsburg. I've taken back roads, rolled down the windows, and let the humid breeze and overwhelming smell of cow dung in. I've stood under a pink and purple cotton candy sky ingesting second hand smoke in a sea of band t-shirts at a metal show where I was the "most metal chick there" because I busted my toe open and bled everywhere. I've partied on a million dollar yacht in the Bahamas wearing Walmart jeans. I've wandered the desert for hours in noon sunlight looking for the path back home. Alright, that was hyperbole. It was the dunes at Kitty Hawk and ‘home’ was the visitor’s center. But if you've ever been there, you'll know how impressive it is that I managed to even get lost.
I wish I could tell you I met a woman with Titian-red hair mindlessly dunking her tea bag in a steaming cup of water like some form of medieval torture in a cafe in Sedona and she ended up getting me into professional rock climbing. I didn't though, because I haven't really taken many chances in life. I have an adventurous disposition in spite of how I may have lived my life to this point. I followed the formula that was expected of me out of fear, I guess, or lack of self-confidence. I went to school convinced there was a practical and possible career choice for me in the fields of geography and creative writing. Somehow, all the while evading that I don't want to live a 'practical' life. I want to get out and explore. Get eaten alive by some more bugs. Wake up and smell the cow poop. Send me to Myanmar or Senegal or Detroit. Actually, send me to Europe considering that is where this contest can take me. In any case, I don't really care where I go as long as I get to experience new things and tell to everyone who is willing to hear how amazing the world is. My eyes are glazed over right now with wanderlust just thinking about it.
Traveling has opened doors and windows and sunroofs for me. It has gotten me lost and taught me more about myself than anything else out there. I might not have backpacked the Appalachian Trail (yet) or been to the top of the Eiffel Tower (unless the one in Las Vegas counts) but every experience has meant something to me. None of it has been glamorous but it’s all led me to the person that I am today.