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As I sit here re-watching Eat, Pray, Love....again.... I can't help but think about the events in life that help us transition and transform from one epic chapter to the next. How each person we meet influences who we become. How each challenge we face with fear and determination alters how we chose to perceive what is valuable to us and what is not. We are constantly transforming, growing, becoming more like the people we hope to be. At least that is how it should be. Change is overwhelming and scary, but it is necessary if we ever hope to be truly happy. When we encounter those rough patches in life when we'd rather feel nothing than feel pain or weakness, there is an innate part of us that longs to fight that darkness away so we can just feel again. How each of us copes with those episodes of sadness varies, but we all know it doesn't last forever. For me, the beautiful experience of encountering something or someone new, in a place that is completely foreign to me, changes me for the better. Everyone has their own history, their own lessons to teach and stories to tell. When we take the time to slow down and take in what is going on around us, the world becomes a much more welcoming and enjoyable place. Have you ever felt so consumed by your routine that everything you do becomes mundane and boring? Where it feels like the life is being drained from you because of a lack of emotional, intellectual, or spiritual stimulation? I have. Multiple times, actually. And each time I made the decision to seek out what I felt was lacking in my daily life, instead of waiting for those things to find me. The world may be small in the grand scheme of things, but if that is true, then how small are the trials we face that bring us down? Find what motivates you and inspires you, and then do it. Whether it be traveling the world or engaging in a conversation with a war vet, allow yourself to step outside of your routine and change.