Your flight was delayed. On the plane, a baby was crying in
front of you and there was lots of turbulence, your taxi driver had difficulty
finding your hotel, and adding insult to injury, the meter was “broken,” so he
overcharged you.
Yes, travel does have its stressful moments. However, most
of those are forgotten with the moments of absolute bliss that travel rewards
us with. There are a few moments I have experienced on trips that I will never
forget. The mere thought of them makes me smile…
On a trip to Mexico in 2007 with university classmates, we
paid a visit to Puenta Chueca, which is the home of the Seri natives. After
buying necklaces from the locals, who were very friendly, we spotted one of the
Seri boys kicking around a soccer ball. We took off our shoes and began to kick
around the ball with him. Soon, it seemed the entire village had joined us! As
the colorful prayer flags of the Seris fluttered in the breeze, we partook in “the
beautiful game!” At one point, I stood with my Spanish-English dictionary open as
the game moved around me. I looked over the young boy who was playing goalkeeper,
and I shouted to him “Portero?” A smile came across his face, and he beckoned
me towards the goal. Moments before I made a flying kick save, I focused on the
sand between my toes, the glowing sunshine and the mixture of Spanish and
Canadian-English laughter. That was pure joy!
In Sedona Arizona in 2008 my parents and I went hiking. We
marveled at the red rock formations and periwinkle blue sky around us. Someone
before us had placed a flat rock on the ground to act as a seat. While the
landscape around us was amazing, as I sat, my thoughts were not with the
Arizona wilderness. Instead, I was thinking how grateful I was to be
experiencing that trip with my parents. We were somewhere unfamiliar, but we
were there together as a family!
Comtemplating life!
In London this past summer, I was excited to have a night entirely
to myself. I stepped out of my hotel licking my chops at the prospect of dining
in one of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants. A mere block from my hotel, a smell hit
my nose that rendered sitting bolt-upright with several pieces of silverware on
the table awaiting a seven course tasting menu as being unthinkable! I had
stumbled upon a market, and one of the proprietors had a beaming smile as he
stirred two pans of paella. I handed over a five pound note, and he handed me a
large cardboard container. Inside was a tender chicken drumstick that had been
slowly braised amongst rosemary, saffron and tomato infused Arborio rice. I
stood on the sidewalk, and savored that meal, scooping it up with a small
wooden fork. As London traffic buzzed around me on the left-hand side of the
street, I thought that Ramsay’s
restaurants would not be as enjoyable!
Mmmmm!
Those are just a few of the times I felt absolute happiness
while traveling. I would love to hear your stories of happiness as you have explored
our beautiful world!
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