Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun, & Mon... Days 84, 85, 86, 87, and 88

I am lying in bed in my hotel room here in Munich Germany as I type this.  I made a huge boo boo when setting myself up to switch over to the local time... something I have not done for over two years.  I over slept on the plane so when I got here, at nearly 6pm local time which would be 9am back home I was really well rested.  I went to bed a little after 11pm local time and slept for... 2 hours, now I am wide awake at nearly 3am so what better way to pass the time than to blog.

It's ok though, I really do not mind, I will get another hour of sleep in before the day starts tomorrow.  Plus it has been fun getting caught up with emails. :)  Now the big question before I get into the meat and potatoes of the blog... do i eat one of those tasty little chocolate treats I found waiting for me when I got to my hotel?  Hmmmm, decisions, decisions.  I'll resist it until I have to get up to go pee, but when that happens... all bets are off!!

I am lucky enough to be traveling with one of my best friends and client's right now.  His work has brought him out to Germany and I have come with.  I have only about 3 hours to explore this beautiful city tomorrow, so when the opportunity is there I will be hitting the ground running; trying to see, taste, experience as much of Munich as I can in just a couple of hours.

It is amazing how airline travel opens up the world.  Just two days ago I was under water with one of my best friends in the Pacific Ocean in the town of Monterey... approximately four hours north of Santa Barbara.  Now I am in Germany.

I went to Monterey to go scuba diving with my good friend Steve as part of what we promised would be an annual scuba diving trip.  We made a pact that every year we would go somewhere new for a weekend of diving and fun.  This trip was our second trip.  The diving was really cool, highlighted by a female sea lion swimming with us for the last 15 minutes on our 2nd dive.  It was so amazing, and it made braving the freezing cold water completely worth it.

After we finished diving Steve and I set out to explore Monterey and talk about the going's on in our lives and what's to come in the future.  We also started discussing future dive spots, getting excited about all the cool places we could go to see just because we share a common affinity for this under water hobby called Scuba Diving.

Leaving Monterey, I could not stop thinking about how great it is to have annual traditions like mine and Steve's scuba trip.  It not only gives you the adventure to look forward to, but it gives you the anticipation of times with friends.  It gives you the opportunity to revisit old memories and to create new ones.  And, it gives you the opportunity to grow with your friends.  So cool!  I need to make it a point to make more annual traditions like the scuba trip with Steve.

On Sunday morning before we left we set out for breakfast, but first, we had to do a couple of things for the 1000 Challenge.  My only time I was going to have for the 1000 Challenge was the time before breakfast as I still had a four hour drive home, then packing, drive to the airport in Los Angeles (about 1.5 hours from my house), then fly to Germany.  So, all that meant that the time for exploring and Challenges had to come before cereal and toast.  (Side Note:  I just got up to go pee and yes I did grab one of the tasty chocolate treats.  So delicious!  I will have no Ab muscles when I get home if I keep eating all these treats!!).

So Steve and I set off and as we drove, Steve started scanning around, pointing out places of interest.  He had not been to Monterey for years, but what had happened was he had now become a part of the 1000 Challenge and it was so cool to see.  The following is the best way I can explain it:

Think about it, when you decide to go out to breakfast, for example, you are focused on the place you are going, how hungry you are, what you are going to eat when you get there, etc...  These are all normal things and I for one know it is how my mind usually works when I am going out to eat; I am focused on going to destination "X."  However, when doing that you are focused solely on the destination and end up missing out on the journey to get there.  It is like moving through life with tunnel vision.  (Put your hands up to the sides of your face and cup them around so you take away your peripheral vision.)  With tunnel vision you miss out on everything going on around you, you don't see the peripheral vision, only what is right in front of you.

What I have found as I go further and further along with the 1000 Challenge is that I am having less and less tunnel vision.  I feel like I am seeing more and more of the world around me.  Steve and I noticed places, sights, sounds, things that we would have never before, simply because we went looking for them.  We could not believe how much we would have missed out on if we had not been looking for it.

Try it out for yourself, I challenge you to! :)  As you go through your normal day today, make it a point to scan the world around you.  Do not just assume that you have seen it all, really look hard, I bet you will be amazed at what you discover.  Spend the day noticing the smell's in the air, the sounds; take a walk in the park, drive a different route to work.. create your own mini adventure.  I guarantee you, you will not be disappointed.

It's time for me to try to go back to bed. :)

Enjoy the pics,

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

Well...  I have been trying to upload pictures for the last hour.  It seems the internet I am using will not let me add pictures :(  I am really sorry.  Once I am able to I will try and get some up on here or on Facebook Asap