Just two day-unfolder-ers at Niagara Falls

The one thing I have loved about my travels is that aside from knowing exactly which country I will still be in at the end of the day, I have no idea how the end of each day will end.

Previously I had my days and nights pretty nicely programmed so that even though there was room for a little spontaneity, I had a rough idea where and what I’d be doing. Not so with my travels. Unplanning my days and my trip has left me open to some incredible experiences and some new friendships.

One day recently, I ended up downtown in the afternoon for a coffee and ended up chatting with a Jordanian guy, Nadeem, who now lives in Canada. We talked about life in Canada and some of the interesting cultural things to do in the city. He invited another friend, Suhail, to meet me and we all chatted about different things for a while. Afterwards, I was invited to go to see a film by renowned Egyptian director, Youssef Chahine. The film was called “Alexandrie… New York” and was part of the Toronto Arab Film Festival. Although there were mixed reviews from the crowd as many had seen some of his other films, I was left captivated by the story.

The film was so controversial that it was censored in New York. The relationship between the Egyptian director and his American-born son reflects some of the stories of intolerance and rejection of the Arabic community following 9/11 in New York. The irony of the film’s censorship in NYC only adds to the film’s strength.

What a totally unexpected end to my day, but it could easily have been more typical if I had not been in an open frame of mind…

So many opportunities can pass us by because of routine. Routine trains our minds to accept all information from our senses in terms of protocols. I don’t stop and smell the roses on the way to work because routine says I don’t need to. But the rose will always smell nice…

***Life Challenge***

Get out of your routine! Do something crazy and leave yourself open to making a new friend, doing something you wouldn’t normally do or surprise your spouse, friends or family. If you don’t go to bed tonight feeling more alive, then you may need to check your pulse.

Do something crazy or different and then let me know about it! I love hearing from you guys…

It can be something small like going home a different way from work or something big like going to a cafe and trying to strike up a conversation with someone else, surprising someone with a gift or whatever. And tell me about it! Please!