It is our choice, we may say. But a story stays with us for a lifetime, in our memories, down to our atomic existence. Every day is a story, a new experience to embrace and tell. We engage with the moment, then it shapes our lives, present and future. Whether it is enjoyable or a story we want to forget, it makes an impact.
When we travel, everything around us amplifies because of the excitement, the new impulses and experiences we live through. While we dive deep into the moment, we can choose what we take with us and there are effects that stick with us even if we don’t plan on it. This is travel, we are fully present or we just slip through the days. Either way, miriads of images and thoughts surround us every minute. These present experiences will form our future and will build a worthy past for us. It does not matter if it is a cultural or a natural wonder, a delicious local meal, a laughter around a campfire that captivates us. What matters is that our life will not be the same anymore. Something will always linger around us from that moment whether we want it or not. It is up to us what we use that memory for. We can re-connect with how it made us feel and what we (un)consciously experienced there. We can follow a new path these events may direct us to, we can change our mindset about the world around us by allowing those newly discovered thoughts show us something different. Or simply we can make our life warmer with precious, lasting travel memories.
Even if something happens that temporarily pushes us into a sinking whirlpool, we can take that story as a re-route. As a starting point to a different direction, a mindset to a different possibility, or simply to remind us to be grateful for all the happy memories we collected before and even may still wait for us.
The moment we allow ourselves to be real in our own travel story, we will appreciate our journey even more. We will see the importance and life changing experiences a day trip or an around-the-world journey can leave with us life long. It does not matter how long your tour lasts, keep it lingering. Let your story stay with you forever, it is worth it.
Beáta