Barely a month ago, we boarded a flight on a trip into the unknown, on a journey to the other side of the world. We plucked ourselves from the comforts of familiarity and submerged ourselves in unfamiliar territory.
We wanted to know what’s out there, and answer, “What could be out there for us?” We didn’t want to live our lives thinking that life is just this, just the way we are used to. We wanted to satisfy our curiosity and thirst for the unknown. And so, after 23 hours of travel, we landed in Toronto with our lives packed in five huge suitcases and two backpacks.
The past couple of weeks have been an awakening. By venturing out into a world we didn’t know, we got to know more of the world. We got to know more about people, but more importantly, we got to know more about ourselves.
What’s truly important
In the past couple of weeks, stripped of everything that’s material from our life, 23 hours away, we learned what’s truly important—love, life, experiences and family.
We learned that the most precious things in the world are your kid’s smile after touching snow for the first time, the warm embrace of someone who cares when you’re crying and a phone call from someone who cares.
We learned that there are still more who worry about us, and genuinely want what’s best for us. Just when we thought we already had more friends than we could handle, we learned that there are still more friends to make, more acquaintances to meet who will add value to our lives and our experiences.
We have to open ourselves up to new people and trust others again, no matter how jaded or broken we are from past relationships. Those experiences were different, and the next ones don’t necessarily have to be the same.
We learned that life will never be about material things, but should be more about the little moments in which your relationships are tested and bonds are forged. About the little moments when you realize just how lucky you are to be alive.
We learned that there are only a few who will be willing to help you when you are helpless. Many will want to sit on the sidelines, wishing you to fail but wanting to use you if you make it.
You have to remember the few who reached down to pull you up, because they are the ones who truly matter. We have to block out the noise from people who don’t matter and focus on the beautiful love from those few who do.
Throughout this whole experience, we also learned that the few people who were willing to help were those who got little to no help when they needed it. Because they care about us, they wanted to shelter us from this cruel reality.
Toughest exterior, softest hearts
We learned that the beauty of your existence is equivalent only to the struggles that you overcome, and that those with battle scars from previous struggles are the most beautiful. Adversity gives you character, and character makes you inspiring. We learned that those with the toughest exterior could have the softest hearts.
We also realized that as much as children learn from our example, there are more things we can learn from our little children. They taught us many things about life as we watched how they handled moving 1,000 miles away from home, away from their friends and what they’re used to.
They taught us that life really is an adventure, and that no matter how difficult a situation seems, there will still be something in it to enjoy. As long as your tummy’s full, and you’re warm and fuzzy, life is good. Throughout this experience, our children also taught us that we cannot take life too seriously, because no one, absolutely no one, is really in control.
And after meeting many people from different cultures in this diverse melting pot, we learned that deep down inside, stripped of our colours and accents, we are all just the same—and that most of our differences are just social constructs that are meant to confuse and divide us.
Barely a month, and we’ve already learned so much about life, people and experiences. Each new day brings new experiences and something new to grasp and learn. When it gets too much to take in, we remind ourselves that this is what we came here for—new experiences, new life lessons, new relationships and new ways to look at the world.
We are beyond excited to see what else we can learn about this side of the globe, and what adventures will unfold, 23 hours away from home.
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