The road ahead….
Just minutes away from departing for this European Adventure, I sit down and finally ask myself what I truly want from this trip. Sure, the experience and adventure, sightseeing, pictures, trinkets and memories are all things I look forward to about this excursion. Mostly, I have concluded, I want something different. I want a departure from the ‘American’ outlook on things; on life, success, failure, happiness. An outlook away from social standards of how nice your car is or how fat your wallet. I want to see the way the rest of the world lives outside this bubble we call the red, white, and blue. Don’t get me wrong, USA is my home and the greatest place on earth but we forget to truly live in this thing we call life…. Is that the way the rest of the world is? I hope not. Guess I will have to wait and see.
Taxied out, wheels up, I’m in the air. Europe, ready or not here I come!
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”-French Novelist
This is going to be one cool trip!
ReplyDeleteHope you all have a WONDERFUL adventure!! Enjoy the sights, the tastes and the culture of Europe. But remember as you seek change from the 'American' outlook on things NOT to over romanticize what you see in your snapshot of the European culture. Keep in mind that you’ll not see in two weeks any more of the European way than someone would see of the real American way of life if they were to spend two weeks in a few places in our country. It will simply be a snapshot. Enjoy what you see; but remember that the “newness” and adventure of being in a fresh place, being among a culture that has been foreign to us, can sometimes cause us to view through rose-tinted glasses what we see. Look for the things that you like about the European culture. However also try to look past those, look for the things that you like about home that aren’t there. If you look close enough, even a continent away, you can learn to love home even more than when you left.
ReplyDeleteWhen you all return home, back to the USA, always remember what you learned from your European adventure. And about that ‘American’ outlook on life, and on money, and on happiness, and on THINGS... remember YOU ALL are the Americans of the future! You have the opportunity to take the freedoms, the foundation, the fundamentals that our founding fathers framed for us and bring to it the values that you all see as important. BE the American that you want America to be!!
God bless, be safe and have fun!!!