Breaking Boxes

There’s a poem for every emotion or epiphany. There are fictional stories which seem to have been crafted from our own lives. There are films which amaze with their depth and diversity. There are foods so delicious that the thought of them can make our mouths water. And then there are the places.

There’s a roadside bar on the island of St. Lucia where you can drink one-dollar beers, talk witht he locals, while gazing out at the sea and the boats. If you stand at the top of the Spanish Steps after sundown, St. Peter’s Basilica is illuminated directly in front of you, even though it’s miles away. Standing at the Columbia River Gorge, staring out at its vast beauty is breathtaking and awe-inspiring.

But how could you know if you never give any of these things and places a thought or a chance?

I literally quaked at the thought of eating oysters. Ugh. They looked disgusting. But I screwed up my courage at my wife’s insistence, and I tried a charbroiled oyster at ACME Oyster House in New Orleans. I smashed a dozen of them, and even licked the shells. Now it’s a must-have for me. Ditto for fish and chips (better in Ireland!), tiramisu, and dozens of other dishes that other folks turn their noses up at simply because they haven’t tried them.

There are more wonderful places to go in America besides Miami Vegas, or Atlanta. I mean, they’re cool, but Kansas City, Austin, Charleston, Boston, Portland, and Frisco are as memorable, if not more so. There are more islands in the Caribbean than just Jamaica. They have all-inclusives in the Mediterranean too. There are fifty states and close to two hundred countries in the world, waiting to be explored and enjoyed.

Step outside of the box you’ve convinced yourself to inhabit. Try a new author, see a foreign film, go to an art gallery, take a long weekend trip to someplace new, and leave the remains of that box in your rearview mirror.