Gratitude Without Limitations in Vietnam

 

Travel has taught me not to make plans. Travel has taught me to be grateful for the spontaneity of living a life without expectations and without limitations. To not make plans or to not have expectations does not mean to not have goals, but anyone that has traveled one tiny toe off the beaten path has learned the difficult way that trying to stick to hard and fast plans is nearly impossible. And that’s okay! I am grateful every day for this lesson in learning to let go of expectations. “Letting go” means to release expectation of what something maybe should be and to learn to soak up each moment of every day for what it truly is.

Waking up with assumed expectations of what a day or experience should be, shoves it into a box with restrictions and limitations that otherwise would not be there. A limit of happiness and exploration is capped by the boundaries of your thoughts. Being grateful for each moment means to not shy away from reality, but to embrace it fully and hold it close like an injured bird in your arms: give it room to restlessly panic at its discomfort but with time and patience, allow it settle into the warm nuzzle of your arm. Days without plans or expectation will seem like a reason to be uncomfortable, but learning to embrace this way of living will ultimately lead to greater happiness.

Happiness without limits. When you let go of planning and ‘to-do’ lists, is when the magic happens–whether on the road or during everyday life at one’s home. Whatever once pushed you to walk out your front door with nothing but a bag and a flight is nurtured by letting go of deadlines and expectations. Learning to go with the flow and listen to your heart is not only a great tool for finding gratitude in every moment, but also in creating an authentic travel experience. Malleability is a skill that is greatly needed and possibly what is lacking the most in today’s mentality in the West. For example if while traveling, your initial plans had you spending three nights in four different cities and then you fall in love with the first city and decide you want to stay there almost the whole time, that is great!

This is probably the best thing that could happen to a long term traveler. Whatever your heart is seeking will speak to you in every decision if you allow it to. I strive to wake up each day with an open heart and with only the expectation to love, and the gratitude will follow. In these days, making sure the basic needs are taken care of is important–food, water, shelter, security–and the rest takes care of itself. Being open to change and spontaneity is the greatest gift traveling has given me. Learning to be grateful for the challenges and bumps in the road of everyday life have only stemmed from there. I’ve learned more about life from the tumultuous road and my backpack than my college degree ten-fold.

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