Once a year, go someplace you've never been before

I bite my lip and tightly shut my eyes while holding the sides of my seat in a death grip; it is the truth that take-off has always been the hardest part of a flight for me. In spite of being half afraid, half excited with the potential of a new adventure to come, every time I cheat myself by secretly opening one eye to watch that rear window view. A hoard images in my mind; it would be rather disappointing if I didn’t seize the chance to admire the clouds that will keep me company throughout this aerial journey.

Scrolling down through the pictures captured by my phone’s camera, you would notice a regular pattern with most of them illustrating beautiful landscapes, sunsets and flowers. However much I may be obsessed with the view of the sky, and no matter how many times I have boarded a plane, I still find it hard to believe how easy it is to get near the clouds — so near that you can almost touch them. Even though I am a firm believer that I was born in the wrong era, there is one thing that I feel unbelievable lucky about — living in such an age and that is of how adventures have never seemed easier to pursue.

Feelings of compassion and sorrow are what I store for those who have not made it into the time where booking tickets to any destination is only a matter of a few minutes really. Yet, I feel even more sorry for those who cannot relate to the concept of wanderlust and insist that home is in fact the best place for one to live. Listening to irrational bragging and to lame arguments of people about their origin, those words often coming from the mouths of young people, I cannot help but wonder: How one can really tell that their home is the best, if they have never been elsewhere in the world?

Bragging about your country or your hometown being the best is completely false if you have no evidence from other places in the world to provide for your argument. And for that reason precisely, in order to be one hundred percent valid in your claims, you owe it to yourself to, at least once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before. To see new places, to admire art, to learn about a new culture, to taste different flavors. That is the path you should follow so as to make a decent comparison. Becoming a witness to how poorly people in other countries make a living will make you appreciate home and, in turn will, reduce that arrogance of yours. Then again, it might also be the case that visiting places where you shall encounter lifestyles with higher standards than yours, might get you just a bit jealous and wishing that this could be your home.

In either case, when being asked of your nationality you might as well say that you are a citizen of the world and not of a single country in particular. And when being asked of your race, your answer should be “human”. We are all born and raised on this planet with the -equal- quality of participating to biggest concept even conceived by the human and that diverse unity. No matter if the colour of your skin is black or white, whether you are oriental, gay or not, you were given this life in order to take part and contribute to this gigantic colourful puzzle of our little world. And it is a total shame if you do not invest at least a small part of your time into exploring all these multicoloured and various in history puzzle pieces.

With five continents and almost two hundred countries waiting for you to explore them, it is never too late to plan your next adventure. Adventures equal lessons and memories, and those two things are what life is really about. Buying new clothes sounds quite exciting, but does it really compare to the adrenaline of the night before boarding an airplane and having to pack for an unknown destination?

You know, one of my biggest flaws is that I cannot keep calm in the idea of not knowing. I always need to be aware of things; that is how I get to be in control. Thus, by staying still I shall never be able to learn and acquire new knowledge. If you failed to notice so far, knowledge is power and blind idiots are the ones who neglect to acquire it.

Staring down at my keyrings –souvenirs from my favourite city- this paradise on earth comes to my mind and instantly this huge nostalgic smile is drawn on my face.

And if by any chance you are in the same getaway mood 365 days a year as am I, then you are obviously aware of the fact that sometimes home isn’t a house with four walls neither two eyes as the hopeless romantics claim. Sometimes, just sometimes, home doesn’t have a name neither it is a single place. It might as well as be a chaotic city full of people that don’t know you and be sure as hell that they are not interest in getting to know you.

You are just a tiny piece of an enormously large puzzle, have you forgotten already?