Experience

I am terrified of flying. As a fairly calm, even-keeled person, nothing gets my heart pumping and adrenaline coursing as much as the boost of the jets during takeoff. Even thinking about it right now makes my hands and feet all tingly (Does this happen to you?? Extreme heights make me feel all tingly in my hands and feet...) with nervous energy.

I'm not ready (to fly).

But I tell you what, I never feel more alive than at the moment when those wheels touch down in a new city. The deflection of the jet engine air into the fan duct mirrors the release of all of my flight anxiety. At that point I just can't wait to get out of the cabin and into a new environment.

MOVE IT!

I love the rush of walking into an unfamiliar terminal. I love the simplicity of only my only possessions being what I could fit in my carry-on. I love merging in to the hustling crowd of fellow travelers. The energy is always invigorating! It has become clear to me that I am addicted to experiencing new locations and new adventures.

Recently, I took a personality test which showed my dominant need was for Freedom. I couldn't have been less surprised by these results. In recent years, I have steadily felt my soul's appetite for "The Experience" increase. "The Experience" is hard to describe in words, because it is much more of a feeling than anything else. You have probably sensed it before:

A buzzing crowd before a big game.

The tranquility of a clear, star-filled sky.

A historic location.

The awe of totality during a solar eclipse.

A sprawling vista during a mountain hike.

The hustle and bustle downtown.

The energy.

The feeling that you are experiencing something bigger than yourself.

Feel small yet?

I crave this. I keep a list of every place I want to visit in order to soak in "The Experience". This is not a "Bucket List" because I don't feel this list will ever be complete. These aren't the places I want to experience before I die, they are places I want to experience to feel alive.

We all get stuck in our daily routines, getting through, making ourselves comfortable enough to feel like we can get some sleep to recharge enough to get through tomorrow. But where is the energy? Where is the zest for life? I see the defeat in people's eyes every day.

What is sad is so many of us believe we can substitute the experience of the real world with a digital experience. We bury ourselves in our touch screens, yearning to escape our mundane, predictable lives. Some of us can't even go for a 10 minute drive without trying to escape to our digital lives.

A human life exists for about 0.00000176% of Earth's current existence. This means 80 years have come and gone over 5.6 million times. We are here for a mere blip on the radar. If all of Earth's existence was condensed into one year, one human life would exist for a mere half second. I want to make the most of my time here.

There is so much to experience in so little time and I crave the freedom to seek out new experiences. I believe my writing could open up opportunities for my freedom...and I hope you find your freedom, as well.