lessons from the trip

A few days before I left on my trip, I had a talk with my cousin David(from my dad's side). He was telling me how he loved to travel, and had done so many times in his life. He said while its great to learn about new cultures, and different areas of the world, the greatest part about traveling is the lessons you learn about yourself and about life as a whole. That thought stayed with me and a few weeks into the trip I decided to write down all the things that I had learned, both the silly, the inane, the poignant, and the important. Now that I am home, I figure I'll share this list with all of you. Then however, I am going to bid farewell to blogging, for a little while at least. I might do the occasional myspace blog, but I will not do a consistent blog again until I begin my move out to California. (which by the way, I have no idea when, where or how? I'm thinking ROADTRIP though if anyone is interested!!) I think I'll put my annalyticalness to sleep for a while, and enjoy my last few months on the east coast.

So here it goes. Oh and I'm putting them in italics simply for dramatic effect. Enjoy!

I've learned.....

• that money cannot make you happy, and sometimes the poorest people in the most dire of situations are the happiest.
• that anyone can be happy when everything is going well. The trick is to find a way to be content, to appreciate or simply accept the fact that not everything can go well all the time. If you can not be discouraged or destroyed when things don't go your way, you have probably mastered one of the hardest lessons in life.
• that the more I learn, the more I realize how much there is for me to learn.
• there are two sides to every story.
• that fear is only useful to stop you from severely hurting yourself or others. Irrational fear is just that, irrational and unreasonable, and should be ignored.
• how to not only tolerate but to actually appreciate a good local whisky with some coke.
• that people are good at heart, with nearly the same hopes and dreams as everyone else. The most important one being happiness.
• that the kindness of strangers will always astound me.
• that expectations, especially high ones usually lesson the experience. Once you remove expectations, you will finally be able to enjoy yourself!
• that some hammocks, a guitar, a little alcohol and some great people is one of the best ways to spend a Saturday night.
• the more you let things happen on their own, the better they turn out.
• the more, the merrier!
• that I need to feel secure wherever I am before I can explore the area. Therefore I need to give myself time to acclimate. I cannot expect to be completely comfortable in a situation immediately.
• that I might not get exactly what I want, but if I allow it to happen, I get exactly what I need.
• that what happens to you is not as important as how you react to it. Bad things can happen but its still your decision to allow to bother you.
• not to judge a book by its cover.
• that if I think I need something but never get it, I really didn't want it in the first place, or I wanted it for the wrong reasons.
• that I really trust fate, or the stars, or some omniscient presence.
• that too often I allow my limitations and fears to hold me back.
• that people who are in bad situations have the opportunity to change it, as long as they have the tools to do so. If they are continually in a bad situation, its because they hold a priority higher, that is forcing them to stay put. If they really wanted to escape, they would find a way.
• that I am the only person who holds me back and the only person that can push me forward. Others can educate me, or encourage me, but I need to do it on my own.
• that nothing is impossible.
• that believing in someone is the greatest gift you can bestow upon another.
• that I can be ready, and I mean dressed to the nines ready, in about 20 minutes if needbe.
• to listen more and talk less. (no seriously!!!)
• that I sometimes need to relinquish some control in a situation and allow others to take responsibility.
• that anything can be carried on the back of a motorbike, such as other passengers(up to 5!), farm equipment, pig carcasses, 5 dozen dead chickens.
• that people see only what they want to see.
• that only you are responsible for your own happiness or misery, so outside forces should not be blamed
• that I will avoid akwardness at all costs.
• that activities are the best ice breakers in a new situation. Giving people their freedom in a new situation is usually detrimental to the experience.
• never to underestimate the power of the surroundings and the environment on your mood and behavoir.
• that I should drop the words 'shouldn't, couldn't and ought not' from my vocabulary. I 'should' only do things that I want or don't want to do as long as I am not hurting others, and drop the notion of what 'I think I should' be doing.
• that I'm alot more of a hippie then my shiny preppy exterior would lead you to believe.
• moderation is key
• that when you are on your own, you are much more apt to put yourself out there, whether it be to meet new people or join a new activity.
• that if you step inside another culture and keep an open mind you may realize there are many more similarities then differences.
• that all cultures and all people want what's best for those they care about, and will do anything to protect them.
• that smiling is contagious.

There it is, there's my list. So thanks David for the idea. I really did learn alot, and thanks to all of you who have been routinely reading my blog. I was really surprised at how many and how far removed my readers are. I hear all the time how people have been "following" my travels or "living vicariously through me", and I am really glad that you all enjoyed my writing and enjoyed my travels. Like I said, I'm going to a little hiatus from blogging for a while, but will be back to document my acclimation to west coast life. Thank you for your loyal readership and definately keep in touch!! (yeah, now that I'm not writing a blog you'll have to actually talk to me to see what's going on... :0))