A fellow adventurer, trail name Ishmael, told me about a day after he finished his 6 month bike ride across America, away from civilization and the daily grind, when he walked back into his job at a major computer corporation how much more aware he was of weary looks on people's faces as they sat at their work stations. He saw faces of sadness, weariness, and pissyness as he walked down the long row of cubicles, robotically working away at their duties, calloused to their internal misery working for their high pressure corporate environment. He didn't notice it before since he was one of them.
But after completing his bike tour, being out in nature, meeting other fellow bike tourers and awesome people along the way, he felt much more alive inside. His outlook and perspective was much more simplified and realized how he and others living the "normal" life stress about little things. Titles, work politics, having more "stuff", what car you drive, how big a house they live in, all that petty nonsense just didn't matter anymore.
For the past few months, all that was vital to Ishmael was food, water, shelter, a good bike and strong legs, and a map to guide the way. He came to appreciate the simple things like beautiful scenery, meeting friendly people and supporters, quiet backroads, taking time to savor food in local restaurants. More trust in people was gained, he found most folks just want to help. Especially the small town folk, they're living and enjoying a simple life, they marvel at his cycling adventure and want to do their part ensuring he has a good one.
So what is Ishmael doing now? Since his trip, Ishmael says he now has more sense of inner peace with himself. He has moved on from the big corporate environment and got into teaching middle school math. Here, he felt he could make a more meaningful impact for not only the kids, but for himself too.
Figure out in life what you want to be, Don't let bosses tell you "You owe it to me!" Live for yourself, because there's no one else more worth living for, Bosses will only cry out for more.
