Reflection

The last two and a half weeks have been a bit of a blur. An awesome blur, but there hasn't been a lot of time for processing. I did some today, and I realized something. Like really really realized something.

I am extremely blessed. 

The town I'm staying in right now sits on a strait. The view of the water is beautiful and I walked about 4.5 miles today along the shore. With the sun shining, the wind enthusiastically blowing, I got some time to just think. Also, there was a food truck toward the beginning of my walk which supplied me with a great burger. Thinking is always better when I'm not hungry. 

I'm blessed that I even have this opportunity. I'm in Wales. I took a plane across the ocean to get here (and a train, bus and taxi - I don't discriminate) I have now been to England and Scotland, which is added to a list of various other countries. So many people never even leave their region of the US, let alone go to a foreign country. But I've been granted the opportunity and resources to do just that.

I have an awesome family. I've always loved my fantastic family, but after discussions with various people I've met, there are a lot of families out there that aren't as cool as mine. As in, some families argue that one should be focused on building a career, not gallivanting across the globe, and therefore try to make the traveler feel guilty for wanting to see the world.  My family has always been supportive of my travels, and having that support makes traveling even more enjoyable.

Specifically to this trip, the fact that I didn't have to come here by myself is a HUGE blessing. Not only because I was scared, but because I got to travel with someone that I didn't know very well, which I felt ended up being fantastic because then we always had something to talk about (like, "how many siblings do you have?"). Seriously, it was so fun getting to know her and finding out how completely different our lives are, and still enjoying each other's company. 

All of these things can be easily taken for granted and I don't want to do that. I don't want to get to the point where I lose the wonder of it all, or stop thanking God every day for the life He's given me. Even when I'm not travelling, when I'm not seeing the world, when life is not all that different for me than the person sitting next to me, I want to remain grateful.