You ever go on an adventure? Explore nature? Go hiking? Walk through the woods?
One thing I love about all of those is not knowing where I am and seeing what I can find. What I will see, feel...experience. Finding out what lies beyond the mystery and coming out of it realizing that everything is okay. It's peaceful. Even walking down a street I've never been down and seeing what sorts of shops, people, and other sights and sounds are there makes me feel free - liberated from the redundancies of everyday life.
As a child, I had a strong desire to explore and see everything I could, but I was told that the world was dangerous, that I had to be careful of things. I think this is what got me into video games so much. They enable us to explore new worlds and see what we can only imagine in our minds. I was able to satisfy my natural curiosities. Unfortunately, I became so entranced by them that I forgot about how wonderful the real world can be. I still went places, sure, but knowing what I could experience in games made the real world seem mundane in comparison.
When I entered college, I began to remember what it was like to explore again. I was away from home in a new environment. I was back at level 1 and had to start the grind all over again. My college was in a small town surrounded by forests and trails. The back yard of the campus was a hiking trail open to everyone to explore. I met plenty of like-minded people and took advantage of the welcoming forest that I was now living by. It brought out the explorer in me; but now I was using my own senses and my own experiences to get my fix.
Have you ever wondered through a forest in the dark with nothing but your dulled senses to guide you? Have you ever walk down a road and keep walking toward what feel right without any thought to where you're going? Getting over my fear of the dark was a wonderful process, and walking freely in the intimate silence is my element. It is empowering knowing that I can rely on my instincts and that I'll end up being okay (if you do this, please exercise precaution. Be smart, be aware of your surroundings). It helps me let go of time. Instead of trying to get somewhere in a hurry, I let myself wander and eventually find my way back knowing it will eventually work itself out. That's a form of confidence and safety that can only be gained through learning to let go and not worry about the destination.
That's the point. Let go and stay in the present. Are presents as amazing when you already know what's coming to you? NO! It's always more fun when you anticipate and guess about the contents inside as you examine the shape, size, weight, etc. If you've planned everything out for yourself and stay closed-off from other routes, you limit yourself to a singular experience. It works for some, but there are still so many people who are dissatisfied with their lives. I feel like a lot of it has to do with the expectations we set for ourselves for our future. I think it's better to find what you love to do, do it, and then take time to ride the tides of life and let them guide you to where you need to go. By doing so, you open yourself up to experience and by doing so you come across things you never thought would happen.
The more I've let myself not worry about life, more amazing things have happened to me. I have no idea what the future has in store for me, but I plan to continue to do what I like to do and plan to make the best of my situation as it comes. I could stay in Japan forever, I could move back to the U.S., I could move to another country and start a new adventure and continue to do it. Nothing's set in stone. Whatever the future has in store, I'm just making sure I don't set high expectations. This way I don't end up disappointing myself and having any regrets. I want to be surprised when I come to my destination and look back on life.
Peace & Love
One thing I love about all of those is not knowing where I am and seeing what I can find. What I will see, feel...experience. Finding out what lies beyond the mystery and coming out of it realizing that everything is okay. It's peaceful. Even walking down a street I've never been down and seeing what sorts of shops, people, and other sights and sounds are there makes me feel free - liberated from the redundancies of everyday life.
As a child, I had a strong desire to explore and see everything I could, but I was told that the world was dangerous, that I had to be careful of things. I think this is what got me into video games so much. They enable us to explore new worlds and see what we can only imagine in our minds. I was able to satisfy my natural curiosities. Unfortunately, I became so entranced by them that I forgot about how wonderful the real world can be. I still went places, sure, but knowing what I could experience in games made the real world seem mundane in comparison.
When I entered college, I began to remember what it was like to explore again. I was away from home in a new environment. I was back at level 1 and had to start the grind all over again. My college was in a small town surrounded by forests and trails. The back yard of the campus was a hiking trail open to everyone to explore. I met plenty of like-minded people and took advantage of the welcoming forest that I was now living by. It brought out the explorer in me; but now I was using my own senses and my own experiences to get my fix.
Have you ever wondered through a forest in the dark with nothing but your dulled senses to guide you? Have you ever walk down a road and keep walking toward what feel right without any thought to where you're going? Getting over my fear of the dark was a wonderful process, and walking freely in the intimate silence is my element. It is empowering knowing that I can rely on my instincts and that I'll end up being okay (if you do this, please exercise precaution. Be smart, be aware of your surroundings). It helps me let go of time. Instead of trying to get somewhere in a hurry, I let myself wander and eventually find my way back knowing it will eventually work itself out. That's a form of confidence and safety that can only be gained through learning to let go and not worry about the destination.
That's the point. Let go and stay in the present. Are presents as amazing when you already know what's coming to you? NO! It's always more fun when you anticipate and guess about the contents inside as you examine the shape, size, weight, etc. If you've planned everything out for yourself and stay closed-off from other routes, you limit yourself to a singular experience. It works for some, but there are still so many people who are dissatisfied with their lives. I feel like a lot of it has to do with the expectations we set for ourselves for our future. I think it's better to find what you love to do, do it, and then take time to ride the tides of life and let them guide you to where you need to go. By doing so, you open yourself up to experience and by doing so you come across things you never thought would happen.
The more I've let myself not worry about life, more amazing things have happened to me. I have no idea what the future has in store for me, but I plan to continue to do what I like to do and plan to make the best of my situation as it comes. I could stay in Japan forever, I could move back to the U.S., I could move to another country and start a new adventure and continue to do it. Nothing's set in stone. Whatever the future has in store, I'm just making sure I don't set high expectations. This way I don't end up disappointing myself and having any regrets. I want to be surprised when I come to my destination and look back on life.
Peace & Love
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| A garden in Tennoji Park |
Do you know what the future has in store for you? Are you focused on the now and letting life take you where it needs you to be?
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