Notes from Being Outside

A week before spring break, the trip I had planned for months fell apart. I had fundraised to go with a nonprofit to Ethiopia to support their mission there, but conflict in the Middle East made it unsafe. So, less than seven days before break, planless but antsy for a new adventure, my friend and I booked our flight to Portugal. At the start of the trip, I had to shift my mindset. I try to value experiences based on what they are -rather than what they are not. It’s the same sentiment as “comparison is the thief of joy.” But going into this trip, I kept imagining what could have been and thinking about what my experience in Africa might have looked like. Although this happens to a degree every place you go - as you see things that remind you of other experiences, people, places.  That tension followed me at first, but it slowly turned into something else. Everywhere you go, you see things that remind you of other places, people, or experiences. Our brains have an incredible capaci...