An Uncomfortable Feeling...

"The depth of a man is a limit only he can know, should he have the courage to explore into the darkness." 

~Kyle Schmalenberg  

I have two good friends, Elizabeth and Josh, who recently returned from a trip to Kenya and Tanzania to see the wildlife in the national parks of Serengeti and Masai Mara. 

They had dreamed of going there ever since they were married some 25 years ago and now that their children have all grown up and finished college it was time to go.

Last week I had the chance to meet my friend Josh for lunch so that I could get a first-hand account of the wonderful things he saw and the people that they had a chance to meet along the way.

As we sat down, I told him to tell me all about his trip...

He began by telling me that there wasn’t much to tell...

I looked at him somewhat stunned...

"What do you mean?, I asked, "you guys were actually living your dream!"

"Well... I guess our dream turned into a nightmare", Josh answered.

He went on to explain that accommodations at the lodge were less that first-class.

"We actually had to sleep in tents... although they were first class tents with queen-sized beds and a private bathroom... there was no phone or TV... and it really didn’t give us much in the way of privacy... we could hear everything outside and that meant that the animal and bird noises outside kept us up all night!"

"There was a main lodge where we had our meals together with the other guests... but it reminded me a lot of a cruise ship where every one is forced to eat with a bunch of strangers."

"There was no internet or TV except at the main lodge where we all share one community TV that mostly played old movies... my access to my email and Facebook was severely limited... "

"...and to top it off... it rained almost every day so we canceled most of our excursions to go out and see the animals... we manage to see a few things... but overall it was really a disappointing trip."

I sat there dumbfounded as thoughts streamed through my brain...

"...how can two people plan all their lives to go on their dream vacation and be foiled by a little rain?... it would have taken monsoons to stop me from going out to the park... "

"...exactly what kind of hotel did they think would exist out there in the plains of Africa?... the Plaza Hotel or Ritz-Carlton?"

"...what was wrong with meeting people from all over the world who shared similar dreams of adventuring out to seeing animals in their native surroundings?"

I told Josh that I was sorry to hear about their "troubled vacation" and quickly turned to another subject as I felt that there was no way to change his mind about his experiences...

As I was driving back to my office I began thinking about the incredible adventures I’ve had the fortunate opportunity to experience throughout my lifetime... the places I saw and the people I met.

Over the last 35 years, I’ve actually visited 56 different countries and have met some phenomenal people, some of whom I still stay in contact with after decades.

I wouldn’t trade those experiences for all the money in the world...

I certainly wouldn’t go to an exotic and/or storied locale hoping to lock myself in a sterile hotel room... sitting around and playing on the internet, grooming my social network, or constantly checking my e-mail.

There is whole giant world out there to see... why wouldn’t we want to spend every waking moment exploring... seeing new things and meeting new people?

Life is about creating shared experiences and connecting with people you don’t know...

...but perhaps you don’t feel compelled to travel to Africa to watch the lions, antelope and baboons in their native surroundings...

I say no problem... if you don’t want to go off to see the world... let the world come to you!

How many of us have co-workers that we know nothing about (other than perhaps seeing photos of their kids on their desk or a golf trophy on their bookcase).

Maybe it’s time to ask one of those people out to lunch to learn their story... everyone has a story to tell... they’re just waiting for someone to ask..

If getting to know co-workers is a bit "too close to home"... then maybe you need to take an adventure to a place in your city or town that you’ve never been to... a museum... a new restaurant... watch a little league baseball or hockey game...

Take the time to talk with the museum curator, the chef, or the young parent in the stands cheering on their kids... ask them how it is that they came to be at that exact place and time...

If you happen to live in a small town... well then it might be time to go out and visit a neighboring town and meet some of those folks...

Sure... we can lock ourselves up in our homes... spend all of our time watching TV, farming on Facebook or reading about how famous people live in People magazine...

Our home is safe... our cubical is safe... our little circle of friends is safe...

It’s easy to be frightened by strange places and people... it’s the fear of the unknown... it pushes us out of our own little comfort zone and forces us to be uncomfortable...

New places aren’t like our home town where we know our way around and the people there... so going somewhere else makes us a bit uncomfortable... because we feel safe staying where we know...

New foods are different from what we know and like... so sampling a new cuisine at a new restaurant makes us a bit uncomfortable... because trying new food could make us sick...

Other people speak with an accent or in a foreign language... they look different... they worship at a different church... they even smell differently... so meeting and talking with them makes us a bit uncomfortable... because we can’t trust them...

Life takes courage to overcome our fears and our comfortableness...  

There is a big world out there to explore with some 7 billion inhabitants residing somewhere else other than where we live...

Life is a summation of experiences... both good and bad...

The world is waiting for you to join in and is anxiously waiting for you to participate...

Thank you very much for your continued support of OptiFuse where it is our goal to make you as comfortable as possible.