I was sitting in my doctor’s waiting room recently and started skimming through a National Geographic Traveler magazine. There were several different locations featured – Portugal, Bristol, TN-VA, Amsterdam, Bangkok, and Tristan de Cunha. As I thumbed through the pages I started thinking of places I have been – Cozumel, Mexico, Key West, Mount Rushmore, Bermuda, and a planned missions trip to Nepal in February.
My mind then switched to places I want to visit – Paris, Rome, London, Ireland, Japan, Fiji. There are also events I want to experience such as the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland, seeing River Dance in Dublin, Ireland, and watching the world’s largest mass choir in Estonia
A few years ago my mom got a chance to go to Paris and London. She brought back a little gift for some of her co-workers. One was especially excited, not because she got to go to Paris herself but that she knew someone who had been there. This really stuck out to me. I wondered about how many people had places they wanted to visit but for whatever reason never did. I also considered how many people are content having never traveled or simply have no desire to. It’s wonderful to find joy in the small things in life. It is also wonderful to find out what your desires are and to pursue them.
Is there a place you have always wanted to visit? Maybe Paris, Rome, Rio de Janeiro, Mumbai, or Tokyo? Are you currently planning the trip or is it just something that seems like wishful thinking? If it seems unobtainable my question to you is why not? Why shouldn’t you be able to visit your dream? 20 years ago my mom would have never thought she would be able to visit London and Paris and yet she has. Sometimes the pursuit of dreams is a marathon, sometimes it is a sprint. But whether it takes many years to go on that trip to Paris or Rome or just a few short months visit pursue that dream until you fulfill it.
“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
Attempt it. Chance it. Try it. Get to It!