Note to self:

It looks like my job involves travelling…!

In the past six months I had the opportunity to visit 4 different countries for work, and it’s a new world for me. So many places to go, so many things to see…

Buuuut… This is me we’re talking about. My brain is a little shit. Even though I love to see new places and get to know new cultures, I’m not too keen on being uncomfortable, and I find the process of travelling is a bit of a hassle. That’s probably because I’m constantly worried I’ll forget something somewhere, or I’ll miss a bus or a train, or in general fuck up somehow. See, I’m an expert in that field.

Still though, I do my best to ignore the asshole voices in my head that say “you’re gonna fuck it up” and challenge myself. Seems to work out okay so far.

Recently, I was aboard a plane headed someplace or another for work, and I was trying to take a photo of the wing, with the view of the ocean underneath. My phone’s camera was having a hard time focusing, however, as the plane’s windows were scratched. The scratches being in closer proximity, the auto-focus decided to ignore the breathtaking view, and instead kept focusing on the scratches.

“How fitting”, my brain went…

See it’s very easy to forget how beautiful life is. There’s a world out there that’s good because (or – depending on the person – despite the fact that) we are in it. If we focus too much on the scratches, the imperfections, the dents, the flaws, the problems, the world and all its magnificence become fuzzy and unclear, as if a fog rolls over everything and clouds our judgement. In moments like these we fail to recognize that, overall, and after all, we’re doing okay, all in all.

So, note to self:

When you’re out of focus, flaws overwhelm your perception.

Take a step back, breathe, and look at the bigger picture.

You’re doing okay.

The Cactus