Thursday, February 28, 2008

Travel

I was thinking this weekend as I was driving on the open road that there are a couple of things about travel that really attract me. And maybe these are part of the reason some people are travellers and some are not.

1. There's something about travel that gives me a feeling of invincibility.Not in the sense that nothing bad could ever possibly happen, but more that so much cool, wonderful, exciting stuff is going on that anything bad seems a remote possibility. Of course, I guess for that to really work you have to have a desire for the newness you experience during travel.

"Seek" is my number on rule for living. "Seek. New people, new places, new thoughts." So, naturally, travel is a great way to accomplish that.

2. The other thing about travel, which is related to number one, is that it makes me feel incredibly grateful. Grateful to be alive. Grateful to have the opportunity I'm having - even if that's eating at Classen Grill, less than four hours from hom. Nonetheless, I'm grateful.

And I think being grateful is essential to having a happy live. Science would back me up on that as well. Being grateful, having a social network, and forgiveness are the three greatest predictors of having a sense of happiness.

I'm blessed to be a very happy person. Part of the reason for that is that I seek things that make me happy - like travel.

The open road also gives you plenty of opportunity to think, which is where one comes up with things like this. OK, well, my brain works on lots of tracks at all times and so I come up with this stuff all the time, but... in general... it's in overdrive when I'm on the road. And that pun was not intended and that means it's time for me to stop.