Home town tourist

· Herman

Be a tourist in your home town instead of traveling

About one year ago my friend sent me a link to an article called "Travel Is No Cure for the Mind". I thought "what a stupid statement - of course traveling makes you happy". But as I have huge respect and appreciation towards my friend, and read most things that he links me I knew that there was something deeper hidden there. And there was.

Traveling can for some people be an escape from the current situation in life and all its intricasies. It's an getaway to something better, an escape from the mundane everyday life that we have built and constructed for ourselves. Traveling gives us the energy to explore and be curious. Traveling gives us permission to enjoy the things we do.

I at least find myself going too deep into the everyday life and getting kind of lost in there. I enjoy and find great pleasure from my routines and everyday tasks. However, when I suddenly have to diverge from those "plans" that I have for a particular day I find myself getting stressed over that. I can't enjoy that something unexpected happened, because that's not what I had thought. It wasn't in my image of the upcoming day. I would like to learn to embrace those moments more, and be happy that something unexpected happened.

I want to be a tourist in my home town. I want to be a tourist during my everyday life. I want to experience things the way I would do if I were traveling. With awe and wonder, being interested in the smallest details. I want to find myself experiencing unexpected things and being able to enjoy them.