Childhood Detective Work: Part II - Summertime

I remember I had this eye-opening realization when I was in college. I just always assumed that every kid during the summer traveled to the same places I did with my family. I almost choked on my food when I was sitting in the cafeteria, and everyone at the table had not travelled as much as I did. I just assumed that playing video games in a lit up arcade while my parents were at the slots on the Strip, seeing the historical Hollywood sign up on hills, driving past a Central Florida orange grove in our navy blue station wagon, or watching the sunrise on a volcano in Maui were just typical activities every American child did. I remember my father would hand me the huge Rand McNally roadmap books and travel guides. He’d let me pore through all the details and read up about where we were going, and I’d get to follow along and read the road signs so I could help track where we were.

Summer was always the time for adventure and fun. And, the traveling that we did taught me a lot about my family, about finding out about other parts of the country, tasting the best road trip food to eat, and learning about the places we were visiting. When you visit a place as a child, you are less jaded, more open-minded, and more amazed by the craziest stuff - the Grand Canyon, the Hoover Dam, a big plastic bucket of quarters, or splashing around in the hotel swimming pool. Stopping at the gas station is an adventure because you get to pick out your favorite bubble gum flavor and look as the scenes start to change from Texas flatlands to dry, rosy dessert plains.

Over the last few days, I have thought about the things I have loved as a kid. Traveling has to be on the top of my list. I have learned how to embrace the problem solving, shifting environments, and re-orientating that travel does to you. I am grateful that my parents taught me to how to pack reasonably (we were in charge of carrying our own lugguage), involved us in the process of reading maps and looking up activities to do, and made sure we took in the history and culture of the city we were in. It is a summer activity that I still enjoy doing. The locales may have changed from time to time, but that adventurous spirit is still inside me.

My mother told me as a child I was the most adaptable young person she knew. She told me regardless of where my parents took me, I was always pleasant to the locals, smiled at them, and always flourished with the environment. I think it is a trait I hope to cultivate and value now. I honestly believe that no matter where I am placed I will always have the ability to thrive - by embracing and relishing in surroundings, understanding the people I meet, and seeing the beauty in all things.