Bound by commitments of time, what we know, the physical, and the social, we bump into invisible barricades, most of them created by our imagination. Traveling unlocks these shackles and we leave them hanging on the concrete walls of our lives. We experience a new kind of freedom. Our boundaries expand.
Overwhelmed by choices, we fill our time with adventure. Our senses soak up the vibrant colors and patterns while we inhale the delicate and sweet, the acrid and the pungent. Days blend with the sounds of busy city life to seagulls calling from above the crashing ocean. This new place responds to our touch and we rush to what it has to offer.
We continue to an island where the ocean breathes around us. We are bound by its enormity and yet the sky holds no limitations. I sit in peace while listening to my heartbeat. No schedules, only sun and sand and surf. And still the clock ticks.
Time continues to diminish and our remaining freedom binds us. The last day is spent in a frenzy of activity. We try to slow it down and become aware of each moment. We capture the slant of the sun, the whispering of the wind, the laughter of a child and cradle them in our memories for the days to come.
Soon we are back at home shackled once again, but our boundaries provide structure for our lives. Somehow these exotic locations have warped our walls and have changed the way we see the landscape. We remember those fleeting days when time stretched out and familiar boundaries disappeared as we absorbed the new. Somehow, it became a part of us.
This is a response to the Weekly Photo Challenge – Boundaries.
Do you see your world differently after a vacation? What boundaries keep you from escaping more often? Where would you like to travel?
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A Glimmer of Gold – Photo Essay
Absolutely beautiful! Your words are a poem, but the photos are also. Thank you for sharing with us!
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Thanks Barb! I’m having fun with these prose posts. They are like a jigsaw puzzle and good exercise for a Monday morning! Great to “see” you. 🙂
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Poetic!
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Thanks Charles!
How are you? I haven’t seen you in a while. 🙂
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I am doing well. Looking for an escaoe from the hustle of work. Thank you.
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That’s great to hear! Escape is good. 🙂
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I think we do try to cram every last minute of fun into our vacations, because we don’t want them to end. Yes, I always see my world a little bit different (okay, a lot differently) when I return from a trip away. Yet, I welcome the familiar surroundings when I return. But those confinement and responsibilities always seem to give way to the idea of another adventure in time. For some reason I am fascinated with Patagonia.
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Do you mean Patagonia, Chile or the store??? 🙂
I love the way everything looks a little different when arriving home and the planning of another trip too. But there is nothing like climbing into my own bed….zzzzzzzzzzzzz…..
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Oh Patagonia, Chili for sure. Not that I wouldn’t mind visiting, Patagonia Clothing, nothing wrong with their threads. And your so right, Susie, when it comes to getting some zzz’s, there is nothing like being in ones own bed for getting a good nights sleep. 😀
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Right? Catching zzz’s is one of my favorite pastimes.
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Courtney escaping through a window says it all for me–gorgeous photo essay, Susie! I’ve inverted the proportions so that now I live life as if I’m always on vacation with a little work now and then to take a break from it, LOL!
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That’s the way to do it, Gail! It doesn’t take much to get out of a routine to change my perspective on life.
That part of the bar was practically empty compared to the main entry which was packed with people listening to a band and waiting in line for the DJ upstairs. So we escaped out the window!
Thanks so much. 🙂
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What a beautiful post, Susie! Wow, I really enjoyed it.
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Thanks Lynn! The last three have been fun to write. It’s always fantastic to “see” you!
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Great photos and writeup too! “Become aware of each moment” This is exactly what I try to do on the last day of my trips because I seriously would not want the day to end.
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I hung onto it by my fingernails. Ha!
Thanks so much and for stopping by, Uday!
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I have traveled through the USA extensively– would love to go to Europe if finances ever pan out… Loved these photos…
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Thanks Linda!
Me too. It’s pretty cheap over there right now. 🙂
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cheap is still too much..:)
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Since we travel all the time, I guess traditional boundaries don’t trap us. But I still want to absorb every single place we are.
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That must be so amazing to continuously discover new places without the boundaries of time. Being present centered takes practice. I’m sure you get a lot of that!
Thanks Mary!
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What beautiful photos. The blueness of the ocean and sky are gorgeous.
I love traveling, but I also love returning home. Traveling gives me a new perspective, and it also makes me grateful for what I have when I finally return to my nest.
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And grateful for my pillow! Ha! We stayed in a Hyatt in Boston where I slept like a baby. I loved that nest.
I think breaking routine is good for all of us. It wakes up my brain.
Thanks, Carrie!
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Girl, you’ve given me itchy feet.
I went and bought a couple of lotto tickets today.
If I win, I share. 🙂
Just so you can go and take more photos like these.
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Girl, you’ve given me itchy feet.
I went and bought a couple of lotto tickets today.
If I win, I share. 🙂
Just so you can go and take more photos like these.
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Fantastic! I am feelin’ LUCKY!!!!!
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You know me I CRAVE Adventure, Travel and Exploring – ha! The next big trip in a few years is to Germany/Belgium. I am just enjoying exploring my new home state right now 🙂 Happy Week – Enjoy!
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Those countries are on our list too! Your home state is a great place for adventure.
Thanks, Renee!
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Perfect timing, Susie – we just returned from a two-week trip to Prague, Vienna and Budapest. Yes, we see our world very differently after each vacation we’ve taken. This one especially struck me, first because of the castles that are centuries old, and second because of the Syrian refugees we saw in Vienna. Masses of them, fleeing their country, forced to wait for hours in a train station until they could leave. It really was eye-opening. The only thing that keeps us from escaping more often is money. 🙂 Otherwise, I’d like to go to Cuba, Spain, and back to Venice. The list never ends!!
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That sounds like an amazing experience. Those poor people. Traveling is one of my favorite things! We loved Spain and would love to go back to Europe. We’ll see….
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Great photos, Susie! The only thing I feel after a vacation is rested; something I haven’t felt in months I have so much going on right now.
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I’m usually in need of sleep and a vacation after my vacation! Thanks, V!
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Yes I do Susie.
I love the way you wrote this post and could totally hear it in the voice of one of those 3AM live radio show hosts when they rattle off a monologue about whatever in their smooth, soothing and hypnotizing voice… ❤
Diana xo
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Awwww! Thanks, Diana! It was very fun to write.
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Nicely done! Love the writing.
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Thanks Nicci! It was fun to write. It’s my third attempt at these crazed metaphorical prose thingies. Great to “see” you!
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Great to see you too, Susie. You have a wonderful imagination.
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Thanks Nicci! I’m pretty out there, alright. Ha!
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Nicely penned and lovely pictures
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Thanks so much, Snigdha! It was a great exercise in metaphorical writing. It got my head spinning on a Monday morning… Thanks for stopping by!
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Beautifully crafted.Taking in the sights and sounds and smells around us is an art form, too often lost on too many of us. I’ve concentrated at doing this for much of my life, often at the expense of more material accomplishments. Somehow, though, I’m not sorry about it.
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I guess I try to do both and swing in and out of taking in the moment. That takes a lot of concentration!
Thanks so much, Al!
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Thanks for the inspiration. I do feel a little freer when I’m on vacation and usually appreciate things at home more when I get back. Good stuff to think about.
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
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Thanks Patricia! Now everyone will be visiting you. 🙂
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I hope so.
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Awesome post, Susie. The writing paired with the photos had a beautiful fluidity to it. Mathair and I wish we could travel, but it seems like there’s always something throwing a wrench in the plans. lol Mathair has had her heart set on Paris for years while my dream is to visit Ireland. Hopefully one day we can see those places. Of course, I’m a bit of a hermit and have been known go through detoxes if i’m not sleeping in MY bed at MY apartment. 😉 Have a great week, Susie.
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Thanks so much, Inion N. Mathair!
I have been having fun writing these. They are good practice for mental gymnastics. This is my third.
I would love to go back to both of those places. Living in the center of the country makes it just that much harder to fly to Europe. When we were in Boston, our waitress said that she flies to Ireland pretty often. It’s only five hours away. What??? I would go too!
I did lose sleep in one of the hotels. There were lights right outside the room and I kept thinking it was morning. 🙂 There’s no place like home!
Thanks for the Facebook shout!
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