Without a doubt, the most common thing I hear after telling someone my latest traveling tales is, "wow, I wish I could travel." Instinctively I feel like I need to make excuses for why I do travel, it keeps my sane, I have a job that allows me to, I travel to have something to write about always, etc. But, the truth is everyone can travel, it's just a matter of choosing to travel over other things.
I love watching people work their butts off to save every last penny they have and set out on the adventure of a lifetime. And when they return, I love hearing about their "yes memories," the memories of every moment that they decided to take a risk, or to try something new, and to truly experience where they were at that very moment. Some of my best memories are my "yes memories."
The time I said yes to jumping off a bridge in Baños, Ecuador, I dared myself to throw my entire body weight off solid ground to free fall. It was the was thrilling and exhilarating experience of my life, and left me craving more.
The time I said yes to karaoke in a small bar in Budapest, Hungary, where I vaguely remember singing off key to a crowd of strangers and left feeling empowered, and a little – ok a lot – tipsy. It was also the night where my friend fell in love with a total stranger, and we spent the next day searching for these strangers the next day in the rain.
These "yes memories," have taken me into each chapter of my life, from kissing a total stranger on the streets of Las Vegas on NYE, to kissing my high school sweetheart in Times Square as that shiny ball dropped, to kissing the love of my life on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The "yes memories" get me through the tough times, the days when my boss makes me cry, and my friends have deserted me for their new love interests. They also motivate me to work harder, and to continue following the most rational of dreams – seeing this beautiful, and majestic world that we get to live on every day.
