What can I say? Toronto was good to me. I enjoyed the opportunity to relax alone (although that sounds bad; I love mi familia dearly). All-in-all, it was an awesome trip. I did, however, notice a couple of things about myself as I reflect.

When you tell people that you went away on a trip, the first question they ask is,”So, what did you do?” Normally, this would motivate me to go as many places as possible so I could rattle them off so the person could say,”Wow. You did a lot.” Feeling the angst of that looming question, I became aware that I might try to allow others to dictate my trip.

Prior to visiting, I had a list of places to visit. I had done the research. I looked at the map more times than I could count. I was ready, or so I thought. When I arrived, I had planned on visiting the Hockey Hall of Fame: not for any other reason other than I wanted to. So, I did that. As my trip progressed, the “looming question” was in the back of my mind, but I hadn’t noticed until day two.

I was lounging on the couch mid-afternoon when I began to feel a little “guilty” about, well, lounging. I thought,”You know you should get up and go do something. You can’t sit in the house all day.” This was my mom talking (I love you, Ma). I gathered my things and left the apartment. As I closed the door, the “looming question” popped into my head. I said (within myself),”No, I don’t have to allow others to dictate what you do. What do you want to do?” I instantly felt relief. Following that moment, my feet got a little lighter and I cared a little less.

If I have gathered nothing else from this trip, not being concerned with other’s thoughts is key to enjoying life. A huge part of enjoying life is knowing what I want. Because I know that, I’m ahead of the game.

The rest of the trip went great. I had no worries. Oh yeah: I visited a few more things, not because of external motivations but because I simply wanted to.

Until next time,

Love & peace.