It was 1:30 am Sunday morning and Eric and I were sitting in a whirlpool at the Doubletree in San Juan because a plane malfunction kept us from taking off at 5:40PM earlier that day. The flight was now at 7AM. We took advantage of an extra night of vacation and over handmade Puerto Rican cigars and a great bottle of scotch, we had a chance to debrief about the trip we just had.
It was booked on a whim, Sarah was essentially bribed to come on the trip, and it was Becky's first vacation ever. We trekked the jungle to swing on ropes and jump off cliffs into a watering hole. We took a ferry to a private island, and then snorkeled to another island about a mile away. We ate monfongo, chuleta, rice and beans; some of the best food we ever had. And then it all ended with a 13 hour delay.
But that night at the whirlpool we talked about the difference between a vacation and an adventure; what it meant to be comfortable and what it meant to have an experience. If you're looking for a vacation that makes you comfortable, there are many things that can go wrong, that is unless you spend money for a business class ticket and a five star hotel and even then it's no guarantee.
But if you're looking for adventure and an experience, everything that happens, good or bad or worse, is welcomed. Because that's when you're able to jump off a cliff even though you are afraid of heights and that's when even the stress of delays makes you more humble and grateful.
And in the end it doesn't even matter where you go, Puero Rico, Hawaii, or even upstate NY. The right perspective and expectation make all the difference. It also helps when you're with amazing people.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
