A few weeks ago while walking
downtown to meet a friend for an afternoon coffee, a stranger asking for
directions approached me. At
least, that’s what I thought he wanted. Pulling out an ear bud, I paused and waited
for his question. After a few
seconds, he conceded that he didn’t have one – he just ‘thought I was cute’ and
that ‘we should chat’. And so, in
spite of the sweltering heat, two
strangers slowed down and quickly uncovered some commonalities.
Will had come to Toronto from
Germany to figure out what he wanted to do with his life, a quest that was
currently being conducted from the couch of a friend. I had just returned to Toronto, fully engaged in a similar
quest, based from my brother’s couch.
Both of us had professional degrees, had traveled extensively and were
deeply committed to finding a meaningful place in the world.
The day before, Will got a
tattoo. As our conversation
progressed, he rotated his forearm to give me a better view. In gothic script it read ‘die for your
dreams’. Of course this pleased me
greatly – not live, but die for your dreams - what verve!
Since our encounter, I’ve thought
about these words a lot. First,
the fact that I was sought out by a stranger who had tattooed on his body a
message whose essence I have adopted as a mantra reaffirms my strong belief
that somehow we are all connected.
Secondly, I’ve been reflecting on
the power of such a statement. It
demonstrates a willingness to put all of yourself on the line for
something. I’ve always admired
that type of determination and in some ways have been waiting for the
‘something’ that would put me to that test. That Will, who is still searching for ‘something’, is so
unapologetic in his commitment to this search is inspiring. What does it matter what your dream is?
We are all going to die, that is for certain. But what if in the meantime we all gave ourselves permission
to put every ounce of our energy into things that we believe in and that
inspire us? What if we died for our dreams?
Let me be the first to
acknowledge that living this way would be extremely hard. In fact, I consider it the challenge of
a lifetime. But I am back in
Toronto and working to live up to it, beginning a path filled with uncertainty
and requiring me to be more honest, genuine (and, frankly, brave) than I ever
have been. Every morning I wake to
a call to action that is inked into a forearm of a kindred spirit somewhere on
this planet. Every other morning
it alternates between sounding totally insane and intensely worthwhile.
I started this blog as a way to
let those interested in my travel adventures get a sense of where I was going
and what I was doing. Each time
I’ve moved overseas, I’ve renewed my commitment to it. Looking back, it’s clear that although
the scenery has changed a lot, the stories have always been about the people
and thoughts evoked by the experiences I’ve had rather than about the places
themselves. Luckily, as the random
conversation I describe here suggests, those stories happen everywhere, a place
where I always am.
Fittingly, I think I am about to
embark on my biggest adventure yet.
