Friends in Books

Our life is so crazy and unconventional that it is sometimes hard for me to have friends who can understand! (this is not a bash to my friends, they are wonderful) I just sometimes really crave for a good conversation with someone who does something similar to us. The only thing is that the only people I have found that are doing something similar to us are over the age of 55 and retired! So I decided to read some adventure stories (non-fictional), people doing crazy things. Now this is something I can relate to! It almost feels like the characters in the books are my best friends haha! They might not know me but hearing their stories, adventures and struggles has been so good for my soul. Anyways here are some good quotes that I really loved from the past two books.

"The pilgrimage is an important part of many cultures. We need to get away from the familiar and explore not only what is around the next bend but also discover the strength and beauty that we have within us. A walk-about helps us to realize that we were just conditioned and trained in school, and with this realization we can take our first steps towards freedom and self-actualization. We develop our critical thinking abilities, rediscover being curious, and find ourselves asking questions again. We begin to more closely define what is real and what is trivial to us. We become more awake to beauty and truth; right and wrong. We rediscover a childlike sense of wonder at the essence of the natural environment." -Becoming Odyssa

"The trail allowed me to feel a strong sense of freedom. And it helped me to see the oppression of a busy schedule and the way we multitask in civilization. I no longer saw what was civil about filling my life with commitments if I couldn't stop to watch the sunset or listen to the birds sing." -Becoming Odyssa

"Owning less junk gives your freedom that you don't realize exists until you have a house filled with things you constantly need to care for." -Happier than a Billionaire

"It's no wonder most of us are depressed. We sit in front of a computer with a screensaver of a mountain, beach, or river. Our daily vista of the world becomes no bigger than seventeen inches. We stare at the screen all day but end up feeling like we are missing out on something. Maybe all that cement (the malls, mega-stores and office buildings) has made us as hard as the concrete itself." -Happier than a Billionaire

"My homesickness taught me what fear can do, how it can glue you in one place and prevent you from identifying all the fabulous possibilites that prevent themselves." -Happier than a Billionaire

"The more I allow myself to go with the flow, the happier I am. It's not easy for me, but I am allowing myself to ease up and enjoy the moment. The "allowance" of relinquishing to a happier life is something I constantly struggle through. Perhaps giving myself permission to enjoy the moment is harder than actually doing it." -Happier than a Billionaire

Awww....... finally some friends who understand me!