Let me tell you, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz was onto something with this phrase. Recently, as many of you know, I went out of town for nearly a month. Not only was this the longest stretch of time that I was away from home, but there was also very little English spoken where I was temporarily residing.
I was determined to handle this trip as an adventure and use much of my optimistic attitude and mind-set. I would learn about myself and welcome any and all challenges. What I had slightly forgotten about was the “realistic” aspects of my adventures in foreign travel. I thought all I needed was my “optimistic” handbag. Wrong. Now, don’t get me wrong, being optimistic is a wonderful trait to have. However, sometimes optimistic people tend to forget about some of the realities of life that very much exist in this world.
For example, I had not realistically acknowledged some of the things, and comforts, that I would miss during my travels. Such as, seeing family members and watching my favorite sitcoms. I thought to myself, “oh heck this trip will be great and I will be gone for only one month”. As if it was not that big of a deal.
Well, this worked for about two weeks. I was on an adventure and was absorbing new surroundings and cultures. However, during the third week, I was hit by a “reality” Mack truck….* I felt many overwhelming feelings hit me all at once. I was feeling angry, sad, frustrated, and anxious. Boom.
So I started to cry and sob, and cry and sob, and cry and sob….* I wondered where all those feelings had come from and how they seemed to suddenly surface. I realized that while I was living an adventure, I was also very much missing many aspects about the comforts of my wonderful home. I missed my family and pets terribly. I missed my cozy couch with my nice color screen TV where every 100+ channels had English speaking programs and shows. I missed pizza and McDonald’s at nearly every corner. I missed my walks in a quaint little nearby park and my backyard deck with multiply flowers and occasional butterflies.
I was determined to handle this trip as an adventure and use much of my optimistic attitude and mind-set. I would learn about myself and welcome any and all challenges. What I had slightly forgotten about was the “realistic” aspects of my adventures in foreign travel. I thought all I needed was my “optimistic” handbag. Wrong. Now, don’t get me wrong, being optimistic is a wonderful trait to have. However, sometimes optimistic people tend to forget about some of the realities of life that very much exist in this world.
For example, I had not realistically acknowledged some of the things, and comforts, that I would miss during my travels. Such as, seeing family members and watching my favorite sitcoms. I thought to myself, “oh heck this trip will be great and I will be gone for only one month”. As if it was not that big of a deal.
Well, this worked for about two weeks. I was on an adventure and was absorbing new surroundings and cultures. However, during the third week, I was hit by a “reality” Mack truck….* I felt many overwhelming feelings hit me all at once. I was feeling angry, sad, frustrated, and anxious. Boom.
So I started to cry and sob, and cry and sob, and cry and sob….* I wondered where all those feelings had come from and how they seemed to suddenly surface. I realized that while I was living an adventure, I was also very much missing many aspects about the comforts of my wonderful home. I missed my family and pets terribly. I missed my cozy couch with my nice color screen TV where every 100+ channels had English speaking programs and shows. I missed pizza and McDonald’s at nearly every corner. I missed my walks in a quaint little nearby park and my backyard deck with multiply flowers and occasional butterflies.
This travel experience helped me to realize a couple of very important tips. One, that even though travel can be adventurous, there really is no place like home. Second, being optimistic is great, but also remember to be realistic as well.
* Please note, these are highlights from an entire article in Higher-Self Living Paychecks. For more information, please visit our website at www.higherselflifecoaching.com.
1 comment:
I can relate to this one. I too have been gone from home for a long period of time. It is quite funny how the small things really are the most important.
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