I got to thinking about the escape. We like to escape because there is pressure that outweighs performance; we like to escape because dreaming seems unequivocally sound. But we don’t have to leave everything behind to escape. We can seek out refuge in those things that are important to us. Let the things you love be your escape. It’s one thing to have dreams, goals, but it’s another to find solace in those things. If we escape to those things we’re good at, those things we love, what could go wrong?

“Don’t you ever wonder maybe if you took a left turn instead of a right you could be someone different?”

I really got to thinking about this. In one moment, we can go off course and be someone entirely different. We have this luxury, this choice. But will we take it? Will we go against convention and take a chance on something from the heart? Or will we stray and live the monotonous existence we think is happiness? Will we fight for this chance? Or let it slip away? … We must make the choice…

I got to thinking about cell phones. I don’t particularly like cell phones. In fact, I loathe them most days. Obviously I realize the convenience and necessity of a cell phone, but I don’t have to love those things. The world has become this fast-paced, technology-obsessed place that I can’t quite keep up with. I wouldn’t actually say I would, even if I weren’t so technologically inept. But mostly, I loathe cell phones because they pull us away from those we love. We stare and type and analyze our phones all day, every day. Can we just stop? Can we just put those things down for a small moment in time? I think we can. I think we can make my feelings of detest for cell phones more into ambivalence. Put down the cell phone. Life is happening.

I got to thinking about the third world. As someone who grew up in the wonderful United States of America, I have a skewed perception of what is normal. I find it normal to turn on the lights in the morning, use  a working toilet, and wash my hands in a sink, with cold or hot water, whatever I so choose. That isn’t true everywhere. I have learned this by living in abroad for the last month. During my stay abroad, I experienced the lack of running water, the power turning off and on sporadically, and searching for fresh fruit that isn’t outrageously expensive. This was all so odd to me. Of course, it was good to be exposed to the experience of travel, seeing a country not quite as wealthy as the United States. I learned a lot. But I am a proud American, and more in love with my country than ever.

I got to thinking about knowing. How do you know? Is it something your heart speaks so eloquently… you just fall? Is it something that speaks to your thoughts, your mind? Is it innate? Does it make you question everything? Do you change your life for it, once you know? Or do you stay the same, pushing the idea slowly into the oblivion? I think you just know. It’s something you cannot fight. You cannot tell yourself it’s wrong, even if you walk away. It’s there. And you just know.