The flight home was ten hours. I had the computer under the seat, ready for my grand plan of blogging during the flight, but I was exhausted and the words would just not come.
But at the end of the flight, as we descended towards Los Angeles, I saw the man in front of me pull out a guidebook to California. I could see his excitement as he eagerly awaited the plane to touch down, so he could start his travel adventure. It reminded me of my excitement nearly three weeks earlier, as the plane descended towards Heathrow and the start of my first trip out of America. Seeing this man with his guidebook on my home state, which I love and know intimately, made me think.
The value of travel is that it allows you to see with new eyes the wonders of where you live every day.
I read yesterday how the State of California, for the first time, is shutting down 70 state parks. I have spent time at many of those parks. Two of them are ones I always meant to visit, but I never took the time to see even though I was living right next to them. I just figured there would be plenty of time to see them later, but now I may never get to see them. This serves as yet another reminder to take the time to see where I am now, because I never know if I will get another chance.
This is the real lesson of my trip--to take time enjoy and savor every moment wherever I am and see with new eyes those things I take for granted.
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