Travel

"Don't tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you traveled." (Mohammed)

If you happen to be a Facebook Friend of American Road Magazine, you've noticed that they've been spicing up their postings with travel-related quotes for the past several weeks. They're all thought-provoking, but this one speaks to me the loudest. (Mohammed was good at inspiring, wasn't he?)

What I've learned from these last few years of traveling less and greeting other travelers more is that one doesn't have to take planes, ships, rails, or even enormous road trips in order to "travel". "Travel" happens every time a person walks from Point A to Point B, even if that's only 20 feet. "Travel" is what you see on the journey, what you observe, what you absorb with every breath you take. "Travel" is finding new things, expanding your horizons, even if that just means walking from the porch to the mailbox. There's something new in every breath we take, if we're open to inhaling and observing. Thinking big is great, but thinking small is no less enriching. Every single day can be an explosion of new observations. Don't get me wrong. . . I'd love to get back out on the road one of these days, but for now I'm learning to appreciate the little things.

And speaking of traveling. . . I must wake my daughter so we can travel to Afton Station this morning. We're expecting a bus tour today. Yesterday, Marly was kind enough to meet, greet, and enlighten a tour bus full of Minnesotans in my absence. I haven't heard how it went, but I'll find out today. . . and of course, as always, I'll let you know.

TRAVEL somewhere today!