I HAD a rather pleasant vacation last week. The plans were made middle of last year. You could say that I had more than ample time to prepare for it. I do not take travelling lightly, especially when I am travelling to a particular place for the first time. To say that I research is putting it lightly. I kid you not, sometimes I get too engrossed with my 'homework’ people actually think that I have actually gone to the place before! I am the kind of traveler who not only reads reviews on various travel websites, I pour over maps, satellite and on the ground views of the places I am planning to visit. I look at weather, read on the do's and don'ts of the culture and even look at some laws that I might break without meaning to.
There are some things that I look for first before going into more detail. I look for groceries, convenience stores, laundry shops and bakeries. After I have chosen my hotel/hostel, I email them to confirm my reservation which I usually make through travel websites. I ask questions and sometimes even make requests based on consistent review tips I come across. I can go into much detail about these things but it is not what this article is about.
I actually want to talk about how time is never enough. Haha.
During my recent trip, I realized how much time passes too fast. You would think you had planned well and dedicated more than enough time for something and still come up needing more time! We can 'prepare’ as much as we can but there are factors that you just can't control; you simply cannot factor them in perfectly! We can really only hope that we have enough time and more than enough sense to appreciate the experience regardless if it was complete or not.
I am pretty sure you have heard of the saying: “It is not about the destination, it’s about the journey.” It makes sense right? But honestly, when we set out for a much needed vacation, we always assume that we would complete the journey and meet our expectations. We don't really want to be disappointed but well, it happens so we better be ready for it too. Being prepared for the unexpected makes it easier to bear and acknowledging that the unexpected can happen anytime makes it less stressful when it does happen.
rIn life too, we should be this ready. Some things that happen in life can be so unfair that accepting the fact that it exists can take a load off our backs. We should be more accepting of the fact that much as we would like to be all roses, the turns eventually come up to hurt you. These are things we don't want to go through but have no choice but learn to accept. The least we could do is to recognize it, accept it and really learn from it so that we can be better prepared for more of it in the future because truth be said, life’s lemons will keep on coming at us!
I still believe that even with such depressing, disappointing and even heartbreaking experiences, we can still come out on the sunny side of things. It really is a matter of perspective. It is up to us to learn how to turn something negative into something that will serve us well and allow us to appreciate life much better. It takes more than just recognizing that life’s blows can be the best lessons we can ever have if we look beyond the pain that it gives us. They can also be the best eye-openers any person can have!
There may never be enough time to always experience the best things, but we can always make the time to find the good things in the bad experiences. It may take practice to find the silver linings in dark clouds but it is there. We just need more patience to recognize it. In the meantime, enjoy the things that make you happy. Work towards it but also appreciate the lessons that come with it as you walk the path towards it. Take all challenges with a grain and salt but never forget the lessons that it has taught you. Then you'll be okay. There may not have enough time for everything but you would have made the most out of every experience to make your life well lived. Happy Sunday Everyone!! :)