A Grand Endeavor
Not long ago I was at my mother's house. For whatever reason I can't recall we decided to look up the seven wonders of the world. Looking at pictures of Stonehenge, Taj Mahal and the pyramids of Egypt, something struck me. There's too much I haven't seen. And over the next few days I made a decision of such gravity that it's still exciting me: I'm going to Europe.
Now, I'm not foolish enough to think it will be easy. Especially when I made the decision to not just vacation to Europe, but backpack across it. I'm still working out my travel plan and I have a lot of research to do. Also, I've decided to pick up a couple languages in order to make my trip easier. I'll also have at least one traveling companion to watch my back and share the experience with. Joe, one of my co-workers that I get along famously with, loves my plan. So much so, in fact, that the day after hearing my plan he comes to me and our conversation, paraphrased, goes something like this...
Joe: Hey, were you serious about that backpacking across Europe trip you were talking about?
Me: Absolutely. I'm really excited about it.
Joe: Okay then. If you're really serious, I want to go.
This couldn't have been more perfect timing. Him and I have already divided up the languages and, from what we have, I'll be learning Spanish, French and Italian. He'll be picking up Spanish and Italian, but will be replacing French with German. Will this be hard? Yes. Will it take a lot of work and sweat? Yes. Will it be more difficult than I think it will? Probably.
Will it be worth it?
Absolutely.
The way I see it, this is the single most difficult thing I'll have done in my life so far. It will take both mental and physical fortitude. But as a very wise person once said, "Nothing worth doing is easy".
Now, I'm not foolish enough to think it will be easy. Especially when I made the decision to not just vacation to Europe, but backpack across it. I'm still working out my travel plan and I have a lot of research to do. Also, I've decided to pick up a couple languages in order to make my trip easier. I'll also have at least one traveling companion to watch my back and share the experience with. Joe, one of my co-workers that I get along famously with, loves my plan. So much so, in fact, that the day after hearing my plan he comes to me and our conversation, paraphrased, goes something like this...
Joe: Hey, were you serious about that backpacking across Europe trip you were talking about?
Me: Absolutely. I'm really excited about it.
Joe: Okay then. If you're really serious, I want to go.
This couldn't have been more perfect timing. Him and I have already divided up the languages and, from what we have, I'll be learning Spanish, French and Italian. He'll be picking up Spanish and Italian, but will be replacing French with German. Will this be hard? Yes. Will it take a lot of work and sweat? Yes. Will it be more difficult than I think it will? Probably.
Will it be worth it?
Absolutely.
The way I see it, this is the single most difficult thing I'll have done in my life so far. It will take both mental and physical fortitude. But as a very wise person once said, "Nothing worth doing is easy".