A few weeks ago, I published a blog about my video series on YouTube. It is a documentary of my Greyhound Bus trip from Chicago to San Francisco when I was 19, called Where Are You Going?
The series centers around the colorful passengers who included a chef from a nudist spa, a 36-year-old bi-sexual grandfather, a man who had just gotten out of jail, and a guy who lives on a ranch in seclusion, house sitting for free.
I also filmed my dad driving me to the bus station, imparting some last minute wisdom. One of the things he told me has stayed in my mind over the years. We discussed the concept of “being in the right place, at the right time.” I told him that I hoped the coming bus ride was going to change my life. He responded by saying that if a person is in the right state of mind, he can find meaning and importance in all kinds of places, perhaps anywhere. Therefore, being in the “right place” is mostly caused by the person, rather than mere chance or luck. The idea has proved true for me throughout my life, including during the experience of the bus ride, as I had hoped. People on the bus told me stories that I could never have made up, their views opened my mind, and they gave me an opportunity to create a unique work of art.
In the short video included in this blog, my diverse fellow passengers illuminate my dad’s belief that a person’s frame of mind affects what happens in one’s life. A person’s ability to see special things when they come along is essential for finding happiness and success. Please have a watch. It’s my favorite video of the series.
Question: What is the best trip you ever took?
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No question the best trip ever was at 15 years old my parents allowed me to go with my 18 year old brother to Europe by ourselves to buy bicycles and travel the continent. We were gone for 81 days, we only knew one other high school aged kid in Germany that had been an exchange student with a family that lived nearby the year before. We got off the plane in Frankfurt in June of 1971 and had to figure out how to buy a train tickets, where to buy touring bicycles, how to find the nearest Youth Hostels and make a plan to do it all on $800 a piece. It changed my perspective on people, gave me a desire to travel the world, and a sense of independence at being able to figure out most any situation I found myself in. Obviously at 15 & turning 16 sitting on the Austrian/Swiss border crossing was not something that most brothers get to share. But having lost my brother just 16 years later that trip always reminds me of the special connection we had.
Right place, right time and the right person to share it with. not to mention some pretty incredible parents that gave us the basis for making wise decisions along the way.
Without a doubt, the best vacation I ever took was a two week trip to Alaska to celebrate my parents’ 50th anniversary. There were twelve of us when the kids and grandkids were included. I think it was the combination of the whole family being together and the incredible scenery, but it’s a vacation the whole family holds dear. A highlight was my 75 year old mother lying about her medical history so she could zipline with the grandkids!