What makes up a life?

Your life is just a groove in this reality. The groove where you choose to spend the most time.

You could stuff a suitcase, catch a late night flight to the other side of this world, and wake up in a new country. The second that the plane touched the ground, you would feel different.

I know, because I’ve done it. I’ve traveled the world. One day, you find yourself in the middle of a night market in Chiang Mai, Thailand, holding the hand of a pretty girl, shopping for exotic art, the kind that you’ve never ever seen before.

You realize in that moment, that you could have a life, a different kind of life, with this person there. You could have a wife, kids, a house, the whole nine yards. There’s nothing that’s stopping you.

Technically, it is so easy to move from one culture to another. You just have to get on a plane. Find a new job. And be willing to give up most of American culture.

You will feel different living in another country. As though you’re not truly at home.

There’s a foreign feel to the air, even though you’re on the same planet.

There’s something they don’t tell you when you’re a kid. There’s a secret that no one shares. When you go around the world, you are treated differently. For the first time in your life, you step out of your culture. You begin to see that there are other ways of living.

Not everyone thinks the same or comes to the same conclusions about what’s most important. Very much, we are the product of the cultural norms of our society.

What if your personality would fit better in a different culture? One with a home-base that’s located on another part of the globe.

It feels forbidden to want to live somewhere other than your home country. But, shouldn’t you go where you’re treated best? Where you fit in most?

When you do take the risk to spend real time somewhere that’s not your home country, you suddenly understand the consequences of living in a new place.

It’s your relationships. The ones back home. It’s your understanding of what’s going on in your home country. The little shows and movies that you’re missing out on. Your roots wilt. You sacrifice your memories.

You certainly learn more about yourself, but you also loosen the ties with friends and family. The ones who your best memories are with.

I now understand what a life is.

A life is simply a reflection of how you spend your time.

You could walk a lush green path that leads you towards marriage.

You could decide to climb the mountains of ambition, and forego ever having your own children.

You could have all of your social ties in one city, state, or country.

The longer you stay in a place, the more grooves that you make there.

The memories, scenery, and way of life becomes carved into your mind. When other people think back to this time, they remember you.

All that makes is up a life is how you choose to spend time.

Who do you spend it with? What do you spend it thinking about? How do you spend it feeling?

That’s what it comes down to.

You decide where you FEEL best, and who with.