“We don’t see things as they are. We see them as we are.” (Anais Nin)
The concept of perfect does not exist as a viable concept in my life. Thus it’s totally wrong to expect my reality in travel to unfold in a perfectly idealized manner. Yet during those curious wanderings that sometimes seem mistake-prone at the time, I strongly envision ways to change my world for the better.
Let’s take the obvious flawed appearance of the historic Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. For how might its legendary angled position influence my future life in a more positive way as I reflect back to our past tour of these hallowed grounds? Perhaps I could now realize the greater needs to stand up straight to gain greater confidence in oneself and avoid back ailments caused by such excessive slouching. Or closer to home, why would I become consistently repelled by the monotonous blight of high rise condos when visiting the beaches of South Florida? It seems that I’m just perceiving them as ugly wall barriers of tourist driven profit that fuel my desire for actively protesting at local zoning meetings to preserve more public beachfront land.
So take a long look at the following photos. I challenge you to consider how you could transform each of these travel scenes depicting signs of negative imperfection into more dazzling deeds of importance in your own life.
PARIS, FRANCE – What point would it make to walk along the beautiful Seine River environs preoccupied only with checking your I-Phone?LERWICK, SHETLAND ISLANDS – What kind of human interaction does a visitor to a new town expect to receive at a busy Tourist Office instead of enduring a long wait with strangers freezing outside the building for their turn to enter?NEW ORLEANS, FRANCE – If a public sign forbids a driver from pulling over their vehicle anytime at this strategic spot on this busy street, how likely does it seem that the he/she will actually notice this obscure, restaurant entrance signal?DUBLIN, SOUTH IRELAND – Why would one desire to book a carriage ride tour that features an obscure view of industrial blight along a towering wall?CLEVELAND, OHIO – To what extent does a rain delay requiring an extended tarpaulin cover of the field interfere with the “natural” flow of summertime enjoyment outside during a live baseball game?CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – From a sight and sound perspective, why do ticket promoters offer tickets to buy behind the stage at stadium concerts?ROME, ITALY – If a cafe offers outdoor seating, then shouldn’t there be enough chairs and tables to make this concept work?LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – Big cities provide plenty of exciting tourist opportunities but how can one enjoy moving to and from these sites with so little fresh air to breathe?HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA CANADA – If you want to convince people to recycle food and used goods, then why make it so complicated to do so?
Snippets of a Traveling Mind 
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