Growing up, going to an amusement park was extraordinarily rare, probably once a year at best, and it was one of those things that would keep me up at night and bouncing off the walls all day. When I was in my mid-20's, I remember going to Cedar Point for the first time in a few years. It was that day that I suddenly realized, "Gosh, I'm an adult now. It's perfectly within my capacity to buy a season pass and go any time I want." It probably seems obvious to most people, but this really was a great revelation to me. It just never occurred to me before that.
I had a similar epiphany in 2009, when the economy sucked and I couldn't find work. I could move. If I could label anything in my life as a regret, it would probably be not realizing this at least 10 years sooner. For some reason, I just never realized that I didn't have to stay here. I kind of thought about it a few times, when I visited Portland on business in 1998, and when I was dating between wives, but even then I was never thinking about doing it on my own accord. So imagine my surprise when I moved to Seattle and thought, "This place is better." Now, I'm not married to any particular location (assuming of course I can sell this fucking house).
There's one more grand realization in progress though, and that's one of international travel. This one has been a work in progress for several years. Back in 2011, I was at a morale event for work, and we were staying at a casino in Washington. There was a lot of alcohol involved, and I ended up at the bar with a couple of friends, both at least ten years younger, until about 3 a.m. Both of them had traveled in the "backpack across Europe" style, and I envied them for that. They could go from place to place, staying in hostels, seeing the world. The dude in particular, seemed more open to experimenting with life in a broad sense. A decade before, I probably would have judged him a great deal, but that night, I envied him. His entire belief system was rooted in seeking out varied experiences, instead of inheriting it from his parents.
He has spent the last few months traveling around Southeast Asia. I believe he's been in Japan, China, Vietnam, Laos, South Korea, Taiwan, and others that I'm sure I've forgotten. Let me say that again... several months. He's packing light, staying in hostels, checking in on Facebook now and then, and seeing things most people will never see. The photos he has posted from remote ruins and temples aren't just exotic, they're like forgotten history. I'm insanely jealous.
It's not just that I envy his adventures, but also his growing perspective. If there's one thing that bothers me about American culture, it's the notion that it's the center of the universe. As far as places to be born, certainly it's better than most, but the world is a big place full of interesting people and places, richer than any book or film could depict. We barely have 200 years of history here, and other places have thousands of years of it. There is so much to learn.
I want that perspective. A lot of people get set in their ways as they get older, and that has always pissed me off. But if I'm being honest with myself, I realize that I was becoming one of those people. Nothing could be worse than becoming what you loathe. Seeing more of the world, I believe, will help me combat that outcome. Once Simon is a little older, I hope we make time to get off this continent a bit.
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