"Life is what happens to us when we are making other plans"

The other day I was visiting with a friend I hadn’t seen in several years. We were looking at my photos from all of the places I’ve traveled to since we’ve had a chance to catch up. As she was looking at them, she kept asking me things like “Whoa, how’d you find that place?” “Looks like you’re the only one there, how is that possible?” Then she found a picture taken less than 250 miles from where she currently lives. Turns out it was something she didn’t even know was there - even though she’s lived in the area off and on most of her life. Finally, I decided to let her in on my little travel secret. Don’t plan 90% of the trip. Sure, there are must sees every time you travel. Madrid – the Prado Museum, the Palace. Rome – the Colosseum, the Vatican. Yukon – the Canadian Rockies. I could go on, but you get the idea. However, the best things seldom are on anyone’s bucket list. Nope, each morning I wake up, eat a quick breakfast, pack my backpack with the essentials and then spend the day wandering. Finding this out caused her to have a whole other set of questions, mostly do with how safe not having a plan could possibly be. Honestly, if security is one’s concern than you should just barricade yourself in your house and never come out. Travel is about stretching yourself as far as you can go, seeing everything there is to see. And most of what’s out there isn’t on any map or in any guidebook. By throwing caution to the wind, you might end up in an odd alley, the backside of beyond, a seedy looking cafe. You might have to talk to a local or two or five. Yup, it’s so much fun, even when no one is speaking the same language. And it’s how I find street markets which aren’t advertised. It’s how I found a chapel which was being excavated but wasn’t officially open to the public yet (but if you asked nicely the team would let you watch them work). This is how life should be lived – not for those big moments. You know the ones I’m talking about – graduations, weddings, births. No – it’s those little moments we seem to pass by without even a second glance that are the most important. The gentle grasp of a baby, the smile of a stranger, the soft touch on the

shoulder after a long day, a thank you when you least expect it. Grab those little things, hold onto them for all they are worth. After all, we can’t expect fireworks every day but a spark only takes a moment. Life shouldn’t be safe, comfortable, easy, planned. Go where it takes you, see where you end up and look back at what the best parts are. You might just be surprised to find what was there all along, some little thing you never even thought to look for. But there it was, a tiny little gift, willing you to smile, be amazed, be inspired, be ready to face another day...