So I’ve already written about the details about my trip: the highs and lows, the places, the people, the experience. But that was truly only a small portion of what happened during the trip. It was the first time I had ever travelled alone in my life, and it taught me a great number of things about myself. Some of those things were good; some were not. I thought I would share some of these discoveries with you.
• I do not know nearly as much about myself as I thought I did.
• I am not nearly as introverted as I thought. I have long thought I could both survive and thrive in solitude, but that simply is not the case. I felt lonely most of the time, and the highlights of the trip occurred when I was with other people.
• I am also a lot more emotional than I even let on to myself. I think I’ve been hurt/disappointed/etc. too many times that I even shut myself off to myself. I need to work on opening up.
• I need to do a better job of appreciating the people in my life, or at least showing them that I appreciate them. I saw a number of people on this trip who were great to me, not to mention have a family who did everything they could to help me get my luggage back.
• I need to be more enthusiastic. Sure, I am not where I want to be, but I don’t have to be completely miserable while I wait for my happy ending. Having the right attitude is a necessity moving forward. I need to be enthusiastic, professional, and hard-working.
• I think too highly of myself in the some areas and am too hard on myself in others. I really need balance, and I need to appreciate myself not only for where I want to be but also for who I am at this point in time. It is good to have goals, but I can’t look down on myself until I get there.
• I need to put myself out more. One of the best parts of the trip was when I was out to dinner with Jon and ZB. I commented to Jon about how I was envious of the numerous meaningful connections he has made, and he told me that these connections primarily happened thanks to putting himself out there. I have realized that I’m really not that bad when I make an effort to connect with people, but I haven’t done that good of a job making an effort. I need to put the past aside and do a better job moving forward.
• If it’s not the right time to do something, don’t do it. Sometimes I make too much of a big deal in my head about making my move, blah blah blah. If it’s not the right time, it’s not going to work. Patience is rarely enjoyable, but it is often necessary.
• From this point on, if I’m known for one thing, I want it to be for how hard I work. If I’m known for two things, I want it to be for my persistence/determination even when the odds are not in my favor.
• I need to do a better job of maximizing my gifts/skillset. I could be doing a lot more.
• I want to live a little, save a lot, and be as generous as possible with what I am given.
• For the first time in quite some time, I not only have an idea of where I want to be in my life, but also how I want to improve as a person. Though this trip was difficult and lonely at times, it can ultimately be considered a success.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
A Synopsis of the Seattle Trip and Some Observations Concerning the Pacific Northwest
It took me a quarter of a century, but I finally ventured west of Minnesota. After completing the marathon, I decided to knock out another item on my 2012 to-do list by taking a vacation. Seattle (and the rest of the Pacific Northwest) has always been an area of particular interest to me, so I finally made the journey out west. In the vein of my “Year in Review” posts, here is a day-by-day synopsis of the trip with some thoughts about the Pacific Northwest following. In the next day or so, there will also be a personal reflective piece concerning the trip, so watch for that as well.
Monday: Not exactly what I’d call a great day. I picked up exactly where my last vacation ended. The flights were good (and the flight to Phoenix was actually enjoyable). On my way to pick up the rental car, my luggage got lost because someone took mine. I was without pretty much everything for four hours. Thanks to the fact I got almost no sleep the night before, this experience made me very emotional. Thankfully, I reclaimed my luggage four hours later, but it threw a serious wrench into my schedule. I was able to see the History of Flight museum that afternoon, but everything else had to be moved around. I was able to meet up with Rex for dinner that night, which is always a pleasure. Still, it was a rough day, and I felt very homesick.
Tuesday: This was still a pretty emotional day. I was worn out from the events of the previous day and from my decision to forgo the trip to Idaho. I still saw a few things this day. I was able to see the view of Seattle from the top of the world (the Space Needle), experienced the eclectic Pike Place Market, and checked out the very interesting EMP Museum. Dinner was lonely by myself, but it was a better day than Monday.
Wednesday: I was able to fulfill a lifelong dream of setting foot on CenturyLink Field, the home of my beloved Seattle Seahawks. I was able to tour their facilities early in the afternoon. Fortunately, this was the only day it did not rain. We had a small tour group, so we were able to get an in-depth tour and experience many of the stadium’s amenities. After the tour, I got a doughnut at Top Pot and explored the city of Seattle. It’s a pretty neat place. Wasn’t able to meet up with a couple people, but that happens.
Thursday: This was a pretty awesome day. I conquered the rain during my drive to Portland. I picked up ZB, and we headed to Portland. While in Portland, we encountered the gloriously creepy yet delightfully delicious Voodoo Doughnuts and the very serene International Rose Test Garden. Though I am far from a botanist, I enjoyed the peaceful landscape. After that, we headed back to Seattle to meet up with another GameFAQs user, Jon, for dinner at a restaurant in the UDistrict. It was a very enjoyable dinner, and it was full of excellent conversation.
Friday: My primary objective for the day was to make it back to Chicago without a hitch. Most people would take that for granted, but given my travel history, I did not. Thankfully, everything went extremely smoothly. I traded the Seattle rain for the balmy Chicago weather and made it home in one piece.
Assorted Observations
• Some of those hills are absolutely disgusting to drive on. They are fine to look at and even to walk on, but as for driving, I do not approve.
• If we classified Seattle as a 25 year old hipster just getting his/her feet wet in the world, then we would have to classify Portland as its creepy 14 year old sibling who shops at Hot Topic.
• The area that Voodoo Doughnuts is located might be the sketchiest area to which I have ever voluntarily travelled.
• My tour guide for the Seahawks tour was a Steelers fan. It made me a bit uncomfortable.
• I don’t know why the top of the Space Needle is orange. It should be the same lime green shade that the Seahawks and Sounders use.
• My hotel room was the first I ever encountered that not only was bereft of a clock but also of a Gideon Bible. However, it had an analog microwave. Apparently, I’m a high roller when I travel.
• The Pacific Northwest is a nice area, but I don’t think it’s a place that I would ever call home.
Monday: Not exactly what I’d call a great day. I picked up exactly where my last vacation ended. The flights were good (and the flight to Phoenix was actually enjoyable). On my way to pick up the rental car, my luggage got lost because someone took mine. I was without pretty much everything for four hours. Thanks to the fact I got almost no sleep the night before, this experience made me very emotional. Thankfully, I reclaimed my luggage four hours later, but it threw a serious wrench into my schedule. I was able to see the History of Flight museum that afternoon, but everything else had to be moved around. I was able to meet up with Rex for dinner that night, which is always a pleasure. Still, it was a rough day, and I felt very homesick.
Tuesday: This was still a pretty emotional day. I was worn out from the events of the previous day and from my decision to forgo the trip to Idaho. I still saw a few things this day. I was able to see the view of Seattle from the top of the world (the Space Needle), experienced the eclectic Pike Place Market, and checked out the very interesting EMP Museum. Dinner was lonely by myself, but it was a better day than Monday.
Wednesday: I was able to fulfill a lifelong dream of setting foot on CenturyLink Field, the home of my beloved Seattle Seahawks. I was able to tour their facilities early in the afternoon. Fortunately, this was the only day it did not rain. We had a small tour group, so we were able to get an in-depth tour and experience many of the stadium’s amenities. After the tour, I got a doughnut at Top Pot and explored the city of Seattle. It’s a pretty neat place. Wasn’t able to meet up with a couple people, but that happens.
Thursday: This was a pretty awesome day. I conquered the rain during my drive to Portland. I picked up ZB, and we headed to Portland. While in Portland, we encountered the gloriously creepy yet delightfully delicious Voodoo Doughnuts and the very serene International Rose Test Garden. Though I am far from a botanist, I enjoyed the peaceful landscape. After that, we headed back to Seattle to meet up with another GameFAQs user, Jon, for dinner at a restaurant in the UDistrict. It was a very enjoyable dinner, and it was full of excellent conversation.
Friday: My primary objective for the day was to make it back to Chicago without a hitch. Most people would take that for granted, but given my travel history, I did not. Thankfully, everything went extremely smoothly. I traded the Seattle rain for the balmy Chicago weather and made it home in one piece.
Assorted Observations
• Some of those hills are absolutely disgusting to drive on. They are fine to look at and even to walk on, but as for driving, I do not approve.
• If we classified Seattle as a 25 year old hipster just getting his/her feet wet in the world, then we would have to classify Portland as its creepy 14 year old sibling who shops at Hot Topic.
• The area that Voodoo Doughnuts is located might be the sketchiest area to which I have ever voluntarily travelled.
• My tour guide for the Seahawks tour was a Steelers fan. It made me a bit uncomfortable.
• I don’t know why the top of the Space Needle is orange. It should be the same lime green shade that the Seahawks and Sounders use.
• My hotel room was the first I ever encountered that not only was bereft of a clock but also of a Gideon Bible. However, it had an analog microwave. Apparently, I’m a high roller when I travel.
• The Pacific Northwest is a nice area, but I don’t think it’s a place that I would ever call home.
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