Dear chau:

Instead of going to the tourist attractions only, travel without planning where, maybe? That is adventure, the unexpected- going north, or south, or west or east, just moving on, see what happens? Keep safe, but plan less. And what if you don’t worry about taking photos and instead live in the moment best you can. No need to take photos, be there on your travels just to be there, not so to look later at photos.

I remember I was in Paris, alone, like you, and there was the Eifel Tower. Not interesting and yet I went up on it because it is a tourist attraction and everyone does it. I took photos. The experience meant nothing to me. Years later, I threw away all my photo albums of all my travels. I have no copies.

Back to France, or close to it, Belgium. I unexpectedly found myself in a local dragon-celebration of some sort (don’t remember the name of the celebration) in an antique looking little town. I was there totally by accident (there was a bus strike and I got there otherwise). It was most enjoyable and meant a lot to me!

The loss of the camera- I beat myself up a whole lot for losing material things on my travels and otherwise. Now I realize I lost years of my life, no decades of my life, and my whole youth in so much misery that it makes losing the material things I have lost as very minor losses.

Every moment you lose in misery, rumination, is life lost. You are way, way, way… more valuable than the camera. Value you. You are not selfish… you are valuable! Go have an adventure!

anita