11/11/2022
It’s 11/11 😍 and there’s so much to be grateful for ❤️. I’m especially grateful for family, friends, the VETERANS, love and getting to have experiences that make me grateful to be alive, like this moment.
Half way up Machu Picchu Mountain is this view of the 7th world wonder. After visiting the Rockies, Appalachians & Sierras—the Andes has been my favorite mountain range so far. With its steep, sharp peaks, each mountain is blanketed with lively greenery & dotted with small, ancient ruins & villages around its bases. From the kind people, to the historic culture, artistic farm-to-table food & all the vibrant colors in between—visiting Peru has been my favorite trip thus far & I’m already planning my trip back to explore its northern mountains next Fall. This place left me bewildered & curious of other cultures around the world & made me think of Plato’s “allegory of the cave”. When you’re deep in the daily grind at home, you forget that there’s an entire world out there to explore; that there’s so much more to what’s around you in your comfort zone, so much more to see than what you read about in books or see on Instagram, & you have no clue how much adventure and happiness there is to discover when you leave your cave. You read about places like Macchu Pichu in books & see it in pictures, but the truth is that it isn’t until you’re there to see it for yourself that you’re hit with an overwhelming sense of wonder when you see things like a running water system built from rocks into carved hills that has been running for centuries. These little details leave you in awe. Exploring Peru was different from sipping a cocktail on a beach; it made me feel rich with experiences that made me grateful to be alive. It made me realize how big the world is, and how much there is to explore; & this sense of wonder is what keeps me on the edge of my seat for my next adventure. It’s what keeps me alive, working hard at home so I can continue to explore & have these experiences with the people I love. As Steve Jobs once said, “Life is about creating & living experiences worth sharing.”
