Groundhog Day

Tonight at the Coolidge Corner theater in Brookline, they're showing Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. What does that have to do with the content of this blog? everything. Trapped in place he didn't want to be to begin with, the protagonist finds hedonistic, romantic, and altruistic pleasures by focusing on changing life's daily routine and trying something new. If you had to live the same day over and over again how would you change it? We tend to schedule too many things during our vacations, when we should be allowing for more spontaneity.

In January of 2004 I spent about 6 weeks traveling solo in Chile, Argentina, and Peru. Many 6 week periods in my life have gone by since then, but none more influential. I learned more about myself in that time period because each day, despite at times traveling with new friends, I started with a blank slate. Very few places I went to I had seen pictures of or too much about. It is that sense of discovery and desire to make each different than the day before that still drives me every day.

Here is a list of countries I've been to so far in chronological order,

Canada
Mexico
Costa Rica
Panama
Spain
Chile
Argentina
Peru
China(including Hong Kong and Macau)
El Salvador
Guatemala

I can still remember details from almost everyday I was in those places, and very few during the years where I was waiting tables, carrying out the same routine. I look forward to future opportunities for the same.