For Christmas, my sister got me a travel journal. Fully equipped with faded maps of the world to write over and outlined boxes to capture memorable moments. The pages are lined with inspiring quotes like….
“I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake.”
“Don’t hurry, don’t worry. You’re only here for a short visit so be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”
“Go forth seeking adventure. Open your eyes, your ears, your mind, your heart, your spirit and you’ll find adventure everywhere.”
These pages won’t be getting any action until my next big trip in April, I thought.
Clearly, I was thinking all wrong. Why can’t this travel journal become my daily journal, replacing that boring, spiral, green notebook that gets me about as excited as my 8th grade math homework.
I started writing daily and filling in the ‘memorable moments’ with ordinary moments. [A new conversation about a volunteer opportunity, answered prayers, welcomed thunderstorms, walks on the beach, movies by the fire].
Why can’t these ordinary moments still be memorable, even life-changing?
I struggle so hard with the desire to change my coordinates on the globe for a life of adventure in a place I’m positive I love, but have never lived.
What a great way to feel fulfilled with adventure, right here, even while sitting in bed doing my morning journaling routine. What if I start the day as I would in Tuscany, Reykjavik, Sydney or Dublin? What if I perceived the green rolling hills near my house like I would the rolling hills in Ireland? Or when I peered out to the ocean, I saw the Atlantic instead of the Pacific.
Imagination is free. A wildly powerful tool for us to grab our world, right where we are and appreciate it for what it is, or what it can be, with a simple shift in perspective.
What a gift.
Altered Latitude 