Finding Love

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The Story of Finding Love Through Travel

I like to think of myself as a happy person. Sure I complain a lot, but at the end of the day, I'm happy. Even in the hardest of times I've been able to find happiness. But all of what I have learned about love and happiness pales in comparison to what I've learned this year. I think a lot of people expected me to fall in love this year, and I did. OK so maybe I didn't meet a man, not that it was my goal. But I did fall in love. I fell in love with life.

Love the life you live and live the life you love.

Jardin du Palais Royal

Looking back on my life, I have always been goal oriented. I always thought of the next steps. Go to school, get a job, get married, maybe have kids, then end. No wonder I was so afraid of death. Yeah, at ten years old I thought about how one day we're all going to die. Pretty morbid right? And of course for years that idea gave me anxiety attacks. I was so focused on the next step that I forgot to look at the bigger picture: living.

We travel not to escape life but for life not to escape us. 

Neuschwanstein Castle

But with traveling, it's different. Everything is new. Everything is appreciated. I now live in the moment, forgetting about my goals, forgetting about the plans. Suddenly living life is what's important, not having a stable job, not finding a husband, not living each day precisely calculated. Sure if those things come along with living life, then that's great! But its no longer my focal point. Some people are good at living life through those goals, I'm not. I have blinders on when I have those goals in sight and don't notice the beauty around me. So this year I forgot about the next steps. And suddenly its like putting on glasses for the first time. Everything seems to be illuminated. And now I feel like I've learned a lot about love, life, and happiness. I've learned that love can conquer oceans and time. That even though I spent my entire life away from my french family, that there is love present. That even though I am time zones away from my parents and family, love is just as strong. I have witnessed countless proposals of strangers while traveling. I've watched the bond and love between families of different cultures. I have learned to love myself and be content with my flaws. And don't get me wrong, I was happy with life before, I just didn't realize that there's more. I now know that I can have goals for myself and live life in the moment. And both is very good.

It's not the destination but the journey that matters. 

St. James Park