The Key to Proper Breathing

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the places and moments that take our breath away." (- ANONYMOUS)

I read this quote the other day, and it really spoke to me: It felt like I was reading my own previously-unspoken mantra. I've never wished for extreme longevity; rather, my true desire is to fully experience life from as many perspectives as possible. Gathering memories has always been more important to me than excercising caution. I am an obsessive observer, an ADD wanderer, a nomadic soul.

Those of you who share this particular personality quirk know exactly what I am talking about. We recognize each other immediately and embrace our shared spirit. We are the teenagers who obsessively planned the high school class trip and spring break getaways; the young adults who left home with backpacks full of tank tops and dollar bills, stowed away on trains, slept next to strangers at youth hostels, purchased only deck passage on 12 hour ferry rides, never made hotel reservations, washed our clothes in sinks, camped without tents, and always talked to strangers. We are the working professionals who plan a dream vacation once a year - just so we can have something to look forward to and get us through the rest of the year. We are the travel addicts.

This year my dream vacation is about to commence. And I can't believe it is really here. In three days, I am "leaving on a jet plane" to Brazil. A week in Juquehy, a beach town frequented by locals from nearby Sao Paulo ("Paolistas"), followed by three days in Rio, and three days up north in Salvador. This will be my first trip to South America after years of traveling Asia and Europe. I have no idea what to expect, I don't speak a word of the language, and I am ecstatically excited. Looking forward to this vacation has gotten me through some very tough months - and it is finally here.

I'm taking this trip with my dear friend, Laura (or "Lowra" as she is known by Brazilians). If there ever was a person with even more of a travel bug than me, it is Laura. The first time I met her I knew we would be friends. "I'm thinking about taking a trip to Peru one day," I randomly told her (a wished-for trip that never became reality). "Peru is great" she enthused in response, going on to tell me how she had trekked to Machu Picchu, partied like a rockstar in Lima, and eaten guinea pig in Cusco. I instantly recognized a kindred soul - the type of person who cares how "interesting" a travel destination is rather than how "luxurious" it is. And we did indeed become fast friends; we were already linked by a shared spirit of adventure.

When I look back on my most memorable life experiences - not many occurred at home. There was backpacking through Italy and Greece (making out with a hot Australian guy named Paulo by a fountain in Rome, showing up in the village of Riomaggiore and asking the locals for a place to stay ("my friend Mario's house"), sleeping on ferry decks hugging my bag close to me after watching thieves throw another's bag overboard, having my hair bleached to white blonde by the beaches in Greece, techno blaring on the beaches of Ios, classical music during sunsets at Santorini); my 21st birthday at Carnavale in Venice (missing curfew at the convent hostel and getting yelled at by nuns, finding my friend being carried away on a stretcher to the local red cross, having bottles and bottles and bottles of wine bought for me by strangers in honor of my reaching "the legal drinking age" (of America only, of course)); the trip to Ireland with my mom, grandma and a friend (getting kidnapped by an adorable Irishman who became a violent drunk, being proposed to by an even more adorable Irishman named "Kerry," kissing the blarney stone, gazing in awe at the political murals in Belfast); my post-college trip to India (clubbing with Bollywood stars in Bombay, having to reject the amorous advances of an extremely hot professional cricket player because I had a bf back home, drinking chai from dirty glasses in the home of a villager, hiking up the plateau at sunset to see the monkeys, daily morning yoga followed by spiced coffee); the best-forgotten, but still amazing honeymoon to Thailand and the Philippines (tuk tuks in Chiang Mai, a blessing from a monk at a hillside temple, riding an elephant through a river, the Jim Thompson store!, snorkeling and kayaking and scuba diving and fishing and a spontaneous karaoke party with new friends in Palawan). These are just a few of the moments in my life that" took my breath away."

Monotony is boredom, perspective is everything, travel is enlightenment. Because there is truth in every religion, sacred traditions in every culture, kindred spirits beyond borders. Here's to all the people who share these ideals with me! (you fit this bill if you plan your next vacation based on what country you have not yet traveled to) And here's to my soon-to-come vacation to Brazil! Hopefully, I will return with new memories, more exciting blog topics, a tan, and a heart that has mended just a little bit more (preferable accompanied by learning to sleep again). Finally, here's to 2009! As my friend Matt has been telling me, "everything will be fine in O Nine." And I believe him. Because every day my breathing (and my heart) returns a little closer to normal.