ebb and flow

We're served with stressful waves and troughs of routine in between.  (Or at least I'm sure that is true in a balanced life... but I'm pretty darn sure it's unanimous.)  In the times where we're challenged and thrown into situations unprepared, we grow.  We have to.

I think the key to success is to use the times in your life where you feel comfortable to reflect, I mean really reflect, on the more difficult periods.  For one, we have all sorts of incomplete emotions that were swallowed by necessity, but unlike food, cannot be digested.  To think about “why” or “how” or “what did I learn” is hardly ever a waste of time, especially when these questions are perplexing.  To really sink your teeth into your past makes your experiences more significant.  And when all we really have is the human experience, why not?

I imagine our growth as structure on a building, the foundation skyrocketing in spurts of forced adaptation.  But on the downtime, there's so much more to be done - the softer details, if you will.

Perhaps that's why I love traveling.  By walking the streets of a foreign place, you're learning of the world and how to navigate it.  But also, by removing yourself from your little habitat, it is much easier to think about the "why"s of your life and how they relate to the bigger scheme of things.  Although you can't really work towards conventional success while on the road, there are ways to fit travel into your life to make it functional (a.k.a. my ultimate goal for the next 5 years, after loan repayment).  Albeit indulgent, I think it's the perfect activity for growth.