There was an article that popped up on Facebook that discussed how traveling can lead to being more successful. Really, more successful? Maybe more enriched, certainly! Exposed to new things that we might not see here in the US, definitely. But successful... I wasn't quite sure. So I read the article and started to see a correlation that if harnessed and molded correctly, traveling could play a large part in how we relate and interact with everything around us. Our desire to travel started out simply to explore the world. We couldn't wait to visit those popular monuments we've seen in movies and read about in history books. We had a mental checklist, we just wanted to see it. Then we reached the Grand Canyon, which was only our third trip, and realized that traveling was so much more than seeing things. We stepped off the bus, walked over to the canyon rim and stared out in amazement. We were speechless and yet our minds were racing with how, why, what? It was in that moment that we felt like a tiny spec in this world of grandeur. A year later we were experiencing the same thing standing in front of Cristo Redentor in Brazil. It had finally clicked! On top of Corcovado mountain in Rio de Janeiro we had that sense of amazement again. Not only towards this massive statue of Christ, which the locals carried piece by piece up the side of the mountain by donkey(!), but also when we looked out and saw the mountains and lagoons surrounded by the sea... It was something unlike anything we had ever been exposed to. During our time in Rio, our eyes were opened to more than just great views from the beach. We encountered patience and tolerance. Brazilians that didn't know English stopped to help us even though we were in their country and couldn't speak any Portuguese. They worked with us using gestures and a pseudo sign language to answer questions and not once did they become angry and shout "you're in our country, learn our language!" We left every conversation laughing and smiling at each other.
After our South American trip, we realized traveling had become something else. It had become something bigger than we ever expected and we are obsessed. Obsessed with encountering new things, tasting new foods, meeting new people, "speaking" new languages and having loving strangers help us because we were sputtering utter nonsense and getting nowhere! Sometimes, we've experienced pain and anger for taking things for granted in our own lives. For not feeling grateful for everything we've been blessed with. Other times while abroad, we've felt like the cliched privileged Americans that shouldn't have be treated with so much kindness from the people who rallied together every waiter in the restaurant to find a English speaker so we could order food. But most of the time, we've relied on the universal language of compassion to get us through the obstacles that come with traveling. After I had reflected on my own travels, I began to see how patience, kindness, understanding, adaptability, and flexibility are very much a part of the traveling experience. Yes, seeing things and being exposed to new surroundings is a huge reason for traveling, but with every new experience, a life lesson seemed to be applied as well. I began to realize that the article about travel and success shared those similar views. Experienced travelers know how to adapt and modify, they show understanding and listen better, they seize opportunities, they trust and rely on others. From beginning to end, you are being challenged in all those areas and depending on how you can handle it, the more successful the experience will be for you. With that framework, traveling can only help mold you into a more tolerant, compassionate person and that just rocks. Until Next Time, C + D
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