How do you even begin to describe breathing to someone? I had never considered the question until the first time I went to Vegas and had spent three days drying out in the desert heat before turning to my boyfriend and asking if he could always breathe that well. There was no struggling to take a deep breath, no clogged nose (however much a feeling it was versus actual blockage), no laying down and immediately starting to fight for a semi-clear nostril so you can actually fall asleep. Being able to take a deep breath, feel it fill out my lungs, and exhale without feeling every blockage was mind-blowing.
First was breathing - then came work/life balance. Being able to work a shifted schedule and keep my East Coast work hours out here has been something I don't think I can live without now. The hours in my day seem to have doubled. Wrap up work at 2p then head out for the second half of the day. Stores are still open, parks aren't busy, there's time to nap and get ready for longer nights out. Having the flexibility and choice about working hours is now something non-negotiable. I will keep this format for as long as I need to work.
Then the discoveries kept stacking - museums, national parks, off-roading, hiking. So many things I had never spent much time considering but enjoyed so thoroughly I repeated within three months of the first visit. Learning how easy breathing could be had me considering other things I'd heard about as experiences and hobbies - things people talk about others doing but never actually doing themselves.
So I decided to become people.
So I decided to become people. I expanded my hit list when visiting a new place to include things I historically hadn't. Each time I went somewhere new - not just a location but a specific experience like the history museum in Victoria, BC, Canada - I found myself enjoying it more than I had expected to.
Looking back at myself a year ago to where I am now, I can see how much further I've taken that thinking. I've moved beyond the mainstream ideas to more niche interests like the Golden Spike and embraced even more off-the-beaten-track adventures like the Bonneville Salt Flats.
So now, I ask you - are you being people or are you just watching the people around you?