Post Vacation Vantage Point

Post vacation

Home again!
Nothing left but some snapshots and memories
All in. All done.
Or is it?

Ahhh... The comforts of home! Hugs from loved ones! My own bed at night!

However... there's nothing like being around the globe, away from home for a couple weeks, to cause one to re-examine everything.  For a little while, from a different vantage point, I have seen life ... others ... myself …

While reviewing the trip via the pictures taken through the lens of the camera, I'm also reviewing it through the lens in my mind -- doing that a bit more this trip than previous ones for some reason.

Having been on a high of busyness, challenges and stimulation of all sorts, one hits the mundane ground of home with rather a thump.

As I start picking up the threads of my life again, I'm examining each one carefully, not only personally but as a global citizen. It causes me to consider making some changes.

What's the point of traveling if it leaves one unchanged?!

Here's a list of some of my thoughts in no particular order.

    Can you relate?

• Eat differently - why not have espresso and pastry instead of toast and peanut butter for breakfast
• Dress differently - the stylish women were all wearing tights, either sheer or patterned
• It’s too easy to get lost in the minutea of the day-to-day. On the other hand I should appreciate the minutea of my very comfortable day-to-day
• Read more history ... anthropology .. cultural info ... world news....  Become a better world citizen and contribute to lives of others. Give more money/time to charity
• Remind myself of how pleasant it is in the part of the world where I live
• God's creation - nature - animals, trees, rivers, hills and valleys, flowers, coastline -  differ from place to place but all are amazing
• I hope I’m a more well rounded person as I incorporate these travel experiences into daily life
• What's really important enough to spend my time on? What's my overall goal, my focus?
• I desire an enriched life vs entertained life 
• Appreciate the mystery of communication and different languages
• Can't help but marvel at truly great accomplishments such as architecture, sculpture, art, monuments
• Appreciation of classical masters and their masterpieces has been enhanced. I hope creativity has been inspired in me
• Break away from the trap of marketing and short term grabbing at short term interests
• How can I continue to feel immersed in the old masters here at home? - easy enough through the internet I suppose but that's not the same as the real thing
• Welcome the world view and culture of others. See people in larger terms. We’re all the same but different.
• The knowledge that God is the same there as at home and the same yesterday as today, is mind boggling to me right now. The "yesterday as today" part probably stems from spending a lot of time looking at places of historical significance
• There is a feeling of kinship with the people there, yet a strangeness between us. Certainly the language barrier is part of it. I am certain that beneath it all, the basic needs of our hearts and souls are alike.

Pre-vacation syndrome is a distant memory.
Post-vacation thoughts bookend the trip

Thanks to all the people of Portugal and Spain who we interacted with and all those who were vital to our trip but we never met face to face - who cooked the meals, planned the excursions, cleaned the buildings, looked after the historical treasures, kept the trains, busses and automobiles operating, etc.  As tourists, we rely on them - they in turn rely on us.   What a colourful milieu!