Escape, leave it all behind.

I think the thing I love most about traveling is escaping.  I believe we all have our escapes, mine just is really literal.  I love many things and hobbies I have in my life, and that's because it isn't permanent or long term.  Dance--for example--I've been doing it since I was four, so it seems pretty permanent.  The thing about dance though is you can leave each routine after about a few months or a year.  You don't like jazz?  Okay, then find another form of dance to study.  It really is great.  It's like traveling.  I love traveling, I'm dedicated to the art of travel, but I leave places behind--some I never will return to.  Sometimes I believe it is good to leave something behind and never return to it.  Sometimes you don't need everything that you come across in your life.

I've been numerous places, mostly in the continental US, and luckily a few places many time zones away.  It's given me the opportunity to live my life to the fullest, do things with out a regret or care in the world.  I always reason with myself, "oh you'll NEVER see these people again!"  Funny thing is, I have seen some of those people again or at least kept in contact with them.  But sometimes doing those things out of your comfort zone, you make new friendships, great stories to tell, and you learn something about yourself.  I think the sense of doing something you may only do once, and then leaving it behind--you really get the opportunity to define who you are.

Another great thing about an escape, is getting to actually escape.  There are so many times where I need to be a way from some place or people or a thing, that I literally pick up a leave.  This concept has been behind only 2 or 3 of my travels, one in fact being Australia.  Leaving allows me to clear my brain and remind myself that all things are not permanent.  I'll return to love ones who have missed me, a job that must refund my bank account, and the few things I love.  Chances are when I return those things that were bogging me down or stressing me out have been demolished or really weren't as big a problem as I thought.  Escaping puts things into perspective I guess.

My point?  Well I guess my point is that I love to escape and run away, but I do come back.  Come back to reality that is.  I believe every one of us needs something that we can proudly rely on to let us escape and leave it behind us, with out looking back or thinking twice.  When we return, we aren't looking back, we're moving forward, and that's the point of life isn't?  Constantly moving forward in our lives, progressing to something great I hope.  So I encourage you to run away somewhere, don't look back, but return and keep pushing on.  It's okay to revisit some of those places you left behind--maybe you need it but it smaller doses--maybe it brings you good memories now and then but you can't always have it with you.  Interpret that how you will, but escape, don't look back.  Be happy, love your life, and keeping moving forward.  There's always something better around the next corner.

North Stradbroke Island, Queensland, Australia.

(off the East coast of Australia, near the Gold Coast)

June 2009, Australian Experience

(where I was diagnosed with the travel bug--hear the story in a future post!)