Okay this post is a little off the cuff, but laos has been inspirational even just from the 7-8 days we’ve been here…and I had to write this…
Everywhere we look around we’re surrounded by monks and other travellers we recognise along the way. Purely just because here the major cities are all actually tiny but amazingly beautiful and serene towns! You can’t help bumping into the same people…
And well, getting to the point…the monks and the travellers we met truly put life into a different perspective which is soooo refreshing…
We’ve met a number of couples and individual travellers who have been travelling not just for a few months, but for years!
In fact one couple, after they got married, went off for their honeymoon, and never looked back! They been travelling for 15 months now and working in cities around the world, including rome and mexico, and enjoying life…
It kind of puts things into perspective…they don’t earn to get rich or to get wealthy…money isn’t first…money doesn’t make the world go round…for them, living life makes the world go round…
Yes you need money to live life…but only enough to meet your needs and wants…what’s the point of getting rich if your not living life!
And the key point is, the standard accepted way of life which is you have to work hard in a job you don’t like is simply not true…its your choice to be there…not living life to its full potential!
I don’t think I’ve met many happy couples like them! And definitely truly inspirational people!
We also met 2 other girls that do the same…8 months work hard and then quit and 4 months travel…wow…they aren’t scared about not finding a job when they go back. They’ll do whatever they have to do to live the life they want!
Shows even though whatever way we try to avoid the rat race…have we really avoided it?…coz these people are living the dream, not waiting till retirement or till something else changes…they are living in the now!
Again I repeat what’s the point in being wealthy if you aren’t enjoying life or savouring every moment…?!
That leads me onto the monks…obviously very religous and work through donations…I think about the life of a monk…who eats only twice a day, with food coming from the towns people (people wake up at 6am to give monks cooked food for there day ahead, every day- amazing tradition and so much respect and love for its religion- we woke up also to give them alms and its humbling, especially as you see the monks also give homeless people some of their food) and who do not focus on earning money or greed. It is whatever is given to them they work off.
Who do you think is happier…those with materialistic greed trying to constantly earn more money and become rich or those that are happy with what was given to them and live life in the now!?
Well all I can say is, talking with the monks, made us realize they are playful, fun and soo happy(Something we could all aspire to be, more of the time)…not the serious, quiet people we expect them to be…
Before you say anything…I’m not saying we should become monks and nor am I saying we shouldn’t save for or look into the future. Yes its important to have goals and create achievements but they should be a bonus to what we already have…not the be end and end all of our life or of our happiness!
Live with gratitude and live up to your responsibilities, but live life to the full, live your dream life, today, right now! That’s how I want to live life!
I know from now on I’m going to savour every moment and have fun…I also know money is just a tool and nothing else…and we can be happy if we appreciate what we have got right now, no matter what we have! 🙂
There you have it diary! time for me to sign out…and for those reading this…be good to hear your thoughts? 🙂