THE THOMS SUNDAY TRAVEL SECTION
A Dream is a Wish…
I talk to people daily who tell me about a great trip they remember. Going to a deserted island, to the edge of the desert, or just out for dessert.
The people, the places, the memories they bring back. Rarely is it about shopping, They remember the colors, the sounds, the aromas, the flavors, and how they feel.
The old friends and the new friends they meet.
They tell me how good they feel when they return. These people feel alive and full of desire with an “I can do anything” attitude.
Then I make the mistake of asking them where they are going next.
The smile disappears, their head drops a little. Or worse, they get the deer in the headlight look that says I don’t deserve a trip. I don’t deserve a dream.
Why don’t you?
In Dreams You Will Lose.
You tell me how much you love to see, explore, try new things. Next comes all the reasons why you can’t.
Travel cures many things. Mark Twain tells us that “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”
What else can it cure?
Physical Healing
In the old days, doctors would send people to the seaside to escape coal dust and the smoggy cities. To the desert to dry up bronchial infections or to milder climates to put less stress on the heart. Yes, we have newer medicines, but just like chicken soup, they have yet to replace the tried and true.
Imagine dipping your feet in warm water, the sound of waves, or the feel of sand between your toes. I imagine just thinking of those things put a slight smile on your face.
Nowadays, a walk can relieve some of the yuck we have from sitting at a desk 8-10-12 hours a day.
Emotional Healing
“Under the Tuscan Sun,” “Eat, Pray, Love,” and about 10 million other stories show us the power of separation.
A bad relationship with others, work, family, and sometimes just our daily routine require separation.
Travel inspires. New places, new friends, and new experiences help shine a light on things in our life that are old.
Sitting in Monet’s Garden, hiking the Grand Canyon, drinking at Octoberfest are all inspirational. If nothing else, it shows you other people need/want to do it as well. You are not alone.
Spiritual Healing
Whatever your higher power/spirit is, there is probably a pilgrimage or retreat you can do to strengthen your mind. For some, it is visiting Vatican City. Others it might be Bethlehem or dipping their heads in the River Jordan. The West Wall of the Temple Mount, the Ganges River, or Mecca call to others. You must have a strong foundation before you can build yourself.
We already hit upon the effect of stress in our lives and how a little salt can often cure it. Find your cure in the salt air, a salty tear when you find yourself again, or a salty margarita.
Your Rainbow Will Come.
So what are you doing to cure yourself? What next adventure are you planning? I did not say a dream or a wish; I am asking what next experience do you have in the works?
It doesn’t have to be to Monet’s Garden (this week.) But visit the city park and enjoy nature. This time of year, many things should be in bloom. Or just let the sun warm your face for ten minutes.
Better yet, call a friend. Walk in the park. Stretch some muscles that have not seen use in awhile except between the couch and kitchen. How about making a picnic lunch or shopping at a market for something fresh? You have the time and the money to do this. Schedule it today. We schedule oil changes, vet appointments, and meetings, why don’t we schedule for ourselves?
All You Have to Do is Dream, Dream, Dream.
Go to a public pool. Or get a kid’s blow-up pool and invite your friend(s) over to dabble their feet in it and talk. Not about work or bills. Everyone bring one happy, uplifting subject, or story to share. You don’t need the sand (yet) water has soothing properties. So does wine, just saying.
Walk to the corner, or the mailbox, or the lobby. Go out of your way to smile and say hello to someone. Do it today. Then “schedule” to do it one more time this week. The restoration powers of a smile are stronger than you think.
Create a challenge for yourself. Visit, see, meet, then accomplish it and give yourself a gold star.
Doing something for yourself, or with a friend should never be a drudge. What a blessing you can do it. And thank the stars, you have a friend. How does it get any better?
Stop saying, “let’s get together.” start saying, “when are you free?” Schedule it and commit.
A stay-cation works if you do not spend the whole time cleaning out the closet or garage. Stay in your home but go out and do something you don’t do Monday through Friday. Go out for meals. Go to a museum, have a foot massage. See something in your home town you have never seen.
The Dream That You Wish
But I want to see the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower the market place in old Algiers.
I can’t get you to commit to walking to the corner yet, let’s take baby steps.
Get out your calendar and take a look at the next three months. What do you have on the schedule for you? Something exciting that you can’t wait to start. Not the kid’s stuff, or your partner’s obligations. For you?
How about a holiday from another country? Bring France’s Bastille day home (July 14), with French wine and cheese. Find a little French music on your phone, or if you are old like me, your stereo. Celebrate with Florence Italy on their Saints Day, June 24. Toss a red and white checkered tablecloth on the table and eat a pizza and some Tuscan wine. There are no rules but to have fun. In August, the Greek island of Paros has its wine festival. A bottle of Greek wine and a Gyro is all you need. Do you know an excellent Greek restaurant? Get a group together and celebrate. Be Greek for a day.
Not paying bills, not taking out the trash or bulk pickup. (Please tell me you are not looking forward to bulk pickup.) An adventure, an experience, something out of the ordinary.
Consider a movie night, a potluck dinner, lunch at a Parisian-style cafe with your friend from high school French. What was the French word for “the check”?
Gone Dreaming.
I have plans to visit friends and family on the west coast of Florida. A three-hour drive to a different world. You don’t necessarily need a passport to go somewhere “out of this world.” We are staying at a mom & pop motel with ten rooms, no golf course, no spa or lobby bar. I can see the mattress already, resembling a rolling valley with hills on either side. I can already feel the pain in my back each morning when I try to roll uphill out of bed. And I cannot wait! I am just as eager for this trip as if it were to Greece.
I Have Confidence.
Get out of your comfort zone. Dream small for now. We will do the bigger dream next.
But as Years Go By, They’re a Sort of Haze.
Don’t be dead while you are alive. There will be plenty of time for that later, and it’s sooner than you think.
Don’t let a dream die.
STOP the excuses! I don’t have the body of someone who works out 3 hours a day. My body is more in line for the centerfold of “Sports Circumvention” than Illustrated. However, turn me loose on a Greek island; you would think there is billygoat somewhere in my family tree. You don’t need a great body to travel.
I have trouble walking. Without me showing photos of people with debilitating handicaps climbing mountains, let me say you can sightsee without walking much. There are even travel companies whose sole focus is trips for people with handicaps. Toss that excuse out.
I don’t have the time. Humbug! Everyone has the same amount of time. Maybe work fills more of that than for others, but there must be a time you come up for air. If not, this blog is not for you. Google “time management,” or “Stress and its effects.”
Don’t have time for a world cruise right now? How about a morning window shopping, an afternoon at a ball game, or dinner with friends? Baby steps.
Around The Town
And do not downplay that movie, afternoon at the pool, or exploring a local art gallery or museum. Celebrate! You are doing something out of the norm and resetting the brain and body. You are exploring, experiencing, and making memories. That’s what travel is.
Game of Thrones is over. Get off the couch and conquer the world. You are starting in your back yard.
Don’t give up on travel. And don’t live in memories. Keep them, relish them, but get out there and make new ones.
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“See France” Continued on Page T3 “Taste Rome Italy” Continued on T4