"Life can only be understood backward, but it must be lived forward." - Soren Kierkegaard

I know I'm supposed to be working on posting my travel journal, and that's exactly what I'm NOT doing right now... but trust that this post IS related to my recent transatlantic journey.

I have made it my summer goal, and perhaps a late New Year's resolution, to try as many new things as possible this year. I've long considered myself to be an adventurous, spontaneous individual, and in this year of 2010, I am striving to prove that to myself everyday. And so, I am beginning a list of "firsts." Maybe you'll do the same?

• first trip to Greece (May 26, 2010)
• swam in the sea (May 2010)
• ate a whole, uncooked tomato and LOVED it (June 2010)
• went down a water slide (June 31, 2010)
• tried liver pate (July 2010)

Admittedly, these things may not look so exciting now that I've got them laid out in front of me, but THEY ARE... I've been terrified of fish, oceans, and the sea for my entire life, so when I took a  swim with Chryssa in Greece, it was an amazing step in my life. By the end of my vacation, I was loving every second I had in those refreshing waves. I've also always been really weird about food - I didn't eat any vegetables, aside from corn and potatoes, until I was well into my twenties - so eating a whole tomato or trying something uncommon like liver pate is a big deal for me.

What I'm getting at is this: no matter how insignificant a new experience may seem to be, it's still new, and it's still a chance to hop outside your comfort zone; a chance to break down a boundary. Most of our boundaries are self-imposed, and each time you crack one of them, even in a small way, you are giving yourself more room to grow.

Fewer boundaries = more room to play = a happier life. It makes sense, yes?