Over the summer, I did not travel anywhere outside of Chicago, Illinois. Though, I can say that I traveled just enough. My best friend is the most adventurous of all people that I had ever met. From waking me up at 5 a.m. to long drives past midnight, I must say I traveled a lot.
Traveling does not have to include buying a ticket, packing a million suitcases, planning an itinerary and being a stereotypical tourist by taking pictures of every single thing that you see. Traveling is a wanderlust moment. It is about seeing the beauty even in the common things of life. No need to buy your disposable camera or fanny pack. Take a deep breath, look around and just drive.
If you believe that there is absolutely nothing to do in your so called plain Jane hometown, you might be very wrong. Check out a haunted road or some historical landmark of the sort. It does not have to be an out-of-this-country trip.. We all wish to have the thousands of dollars to travel to Paris, Rome, Spain and London. Though, we know that there are other obligations in our life that is keeping us away from our dreams. I promise you, you have all the time in the world to visit your dream.
Let me tell you about the time that my best friend and I wanted tropical snow (it is not actual snow, I swear to you). We had one goal..Our goal was to get a fabulous snow cone. Yes, I know I dream big! This isn't just any snow cone from those busted ice cream trucks that creep around the block every summer; this is a snow cone that melts on your tongue whenever you catch a snowflake. Don't worry, we achieved our goal. My best friend did not dare to tell me that the place we traveled to was an abandoned, yet slightly haunted town. On top of just being in the presence of the dead, she decided to take this further and drive to a cemetery! Always remember to pick your theme song in situations like these. I believe Evanescence was a perfect fit to drive around a cemetery. That was adventure number one.
Onto adventure number two. My best friend planned to visit every town along the Metra line. Our first stop was, Oak Park, Illinois. Oak Park does not sound exciting, but every town has it's own culture and beauty. We definitely hit home when Oak Park had a festival where the entire town was awake with happiness and curiosity. You can see the town light up perfectly with an overrated group of old men reaching into their inner-teen days of garage bands. You can hear children dance in the fountain when you obviously shouldn't, but it didn't matter because will always act free. You are going to find those towns that is a lot more alive than you will ever be.
Alas, we arrived to our final destination, forest preserves. Now, don't bash yet! You will be surprise how little of forest we have in this world. Forest preserves are called forest preserves for a reason. That reason is to preserve the beauty and life that is the forest. How often do you see nature when you're in the suburbs? Not often, I'll assume. So in that case, wake up at 5 a.m. with your best friend or dog or lover and admire how beautiful this world can be. Then, go out around 6 p.m. and see the sunset. There is nothing more glorious than watching your day begin and end.
Someday this day, I want to travel around with my best friend to see the world outside of our own little world. What is a better way to enjoy life when you can't even enjoy the little things first?
