asheville the sacred everyday travel

where is paradise to you?

13 Feb 2014

“wherever my travels may lead, paradise is where i am.” – voltaire

it’s no secret that i love to travel. and i do it whenever i get the chance. i love big trips which mean saving big money for planes tickets. and i love little weekend, or even day, trips. and while my wanderlust is in overdrive right now – i am dyyyying for a road trip, i ran across a quote that brought me back to reality. or at least my reality.

i most definitely love adventure. i love exploring new places, new people, new sights, new food, and new cultures. and part of what i love about traveling is that feeling of excitement and awe and surprise, of being purely present in the moment. this quote reminded about what is really the most important thing… appreciating the where i am, soaking it all in, and letting it transform me. but, what i easily forget is that living in the present moment can be achieved no matter where i am.

so, instead of focusing on what i where i want to go, i focus on where i am. and where i am, is just as much of an adventure as where i want to go. follow me? it’s all about how i choose to see my everyday life. i can spend my days in misery, pining away for my next road trip or travel adventure (and part of me will always be planning and dreaming about that), or i can spend my days living life to the fullest right where i am. soaking up the paradise that is around me.

with that in mind, i grabbed my camera, bundled up, and headed out the door to see what i could see. i may not have gone far, but i definitely had some experiences. yep. today, my big travel adventure was right below balcony.

take a peek at what my paradise looks like today:

entrance verde vistaearly morningsnowwinter poolpoolparking lotsnow angelcamera selfieDSC_0941parkingevergreen treefront verde vistasnow covered roadhighway

home

photo by lier.se (my love)

my love and me

photo by lier.se (my love)

do you believe that wherever you are can be paradise? what is paradise to you?

peace & love. xx

* this begins my new series on thursday, which i will call “travel thursdays”. every week i’ll post something that has to do with travel – an inspiring quote, a photo, a place, a recent trip, an upcoming trip, tips, you name it. as long as it’s travel-related. so, check back next thursday to see where travel to next! 

No Comments

  • Reply Dayna Johnson 13 Feb 2014 at 18:15

    Wow it looks like a winter wonderland! So very different from over here in Aus. It is hot, dry and brown. My current paradise is one in progress while we try to landscape our 3 acre block. I have a vision in my head of how I want it to look, but starting with a very bare canvas it will take many years! Stay warm 🙂

    • Reply liz 15 Feb 2014 at 15:46

      Oh, it’s so different there! I am doing my best to try and enjoy the cold weather here, knowing that I’ll be sweating and complaining about the heat soon enough. 🙂 Wow! What a big job to landscape all that space, but it will be a great project, which I am sure will give you years of enjoyment.

  • Reply Meg Evans 13 Feb 2014 at 19:20

    What fun photos — I especially liked the first one, which reminded me of old-fashioned Christmas village decorations. As for where I’d like to travel, I must admit that hot & dry Australia sounds pretty good to me after this long cold winter! But I do agree that wherever you are can be paradise. It’s all in how you look at it.

    • Reply liz 15 Feb 2014 at 15:47

      Yes, right now, I am pining away for something tropical. But, I’m telling myself every day to enjoy the view, so to speak. 🙂

  • Reply yogaleigh 16 Feb 2014 at 04:10

    Love the point of view and the photos. Glad to see you got that snow you wanted. You can come get some of ours too if you want :>) Really we wouldn’t mind at all.

    • Reply liz 20 Feb 2014 at 20:41

      I’m sure that you wouldn’t mind at all. Hope that you are staying warm!

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