Simple Pleasures

Do you ever just stop in a moment, and realise that you feel utterly joyful? You know, that feeling of your heart being so full, it could overflow? I do, and it happens at the most unusual times. 

I love catching the ferry on the Brisbane River. I stand at the front, waiting until I catch my first glimpse of the city, and I feel as though I could burst with joy. I feel the same way when I’m at Eagle Street Pier at night, gazing awestruck, at the brightly lit up Story Bridge. It happens when I’m in the Art Gallery in Brisbane City, or floating on my back in the ocean— that incredible sense of fullness and contentment, and I love it. Simple pleasures. 

When we look back on our travel adventures it’s impossible to remember every detail, but I remember slices. In Hong Kong it was eating Mrs Fields choc-chip cookies while waiting for the ferry at Victoria Harbour. In Singapore it was eating the most incredible stir fry at Newton Circus. In Tahiti it was swimming in waters as blue as the sky. In Alaska it was drinking hot cocoa in the lobby of the Copper River Wilderness Lodge during Christmas in August, and the reindeer hot-dog at the food truck in Anchorage. In Malaysia it was a great pair of Italian leather shoes in China Town. In Egypt it was a picture hanging over a fireplace, and in Canada, it was two little kids laughing at my Australian accent. There are many, many more of these travel moments. Too many to record here in fact, but each memory holds powerful emotions. 

Travelling leaves each of us with more than just tacky souvenirs and a thousand photos. It provides us with wonderful memories that can ignite strong emotions and recollections that break through the mundane everyday. A dreary day at work can be picked up by the sweet memory of swimming under a waterfall in Byron Bay, or the bright pink flowers on Sentosa Island. So whether it’s a ferry ride into the city, or a bad coffee in an American diner, get out of the house and travel. Your well-being depends on it.