I used to think I was a nerd for carting my camera around and snapping, quite literally, hundreds of pictures throughout my vacations and it's days like today which make me feel glad I did. I took a little trip down memory lane tonight, scoured hundreds of pictures from vacations I took when times were simpler, and my health was better. It's hard, at times, to not get choked up looking at the pictures and remembering the fun I had, but it makes me glad I was able to experience it.
Virtually all of my vacations have been financed by myself, most of the times I really didn't need to spend the money, but to me it was worth the money and knowing what I know now and having the appreciation for the finite time we have here, makes those trips priceless.
To me it wasn't about the money, it was about the experience to be had and the question which was always in the back of my head - When do you know for certain you'll be able to come back here and experience this again? Without being able to answer that question - the only suitable solution was to spend the money, and go at that time. It was spontaneous, even perhaps a little careless - yet by all accounts, priceless.
Im still a spontaneous person, but as spontaneous as I am, so is my health. I couldn't imagine living my life scheduling a vacation for years in advance. Saving and waiting, saving and waiting, its the endless cycle. There will always be something better you can spend your money on. Who doesnt need to make that extra mortgage payment, or use a new refrigerator. But that can't provide you with an experience that will last a lifetime. Possessions break and fade into the past, memories, especially the really good ones - last forever. I can go back in my head and think to my trips to Cancun, or my Florida vacations, or my Cruises, or other trips to random places I've dragged my friends and think back fondly on them, and place a smile on my face, even if only for a fleeting moment.
You never know when you might need that memory to get you through a rough day, a rough week or even a rough 'from here on out'. You want to do something? Great! Do it now. Don't wait. You never know when your last chance to be able to appreciate it will be.
How you live is a choice, choose your own adventure... and take pictures...
