Travel documentaries? Where do YOUR reminders of gratitude for your life originate?

What ordinary details of your unique life are most challenging to you these days? Are you able to find perspective, even a positive spin? The question is on my mind because of two recent reminders about the importance of gratitude. They have come, of all places, from travel-related pieces. During a time when travel couldn't be further from my reality, I no less enjoy the stories of others' journeys. Good stories inspire me in many ways, and these two examples not only sucked me in but left me with plenty of food for thought. Worth sharing.

BBC series, Long Way Round, documents actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman taking a 3 1/2 month motorcycle trip from the UK to New York City... via Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia... you know, ordinary places like that. I rewatched a segment of the series as I fell asleep last night. During the planning phase, they each expressed preference toward riding a specific bike. Charley's fave was the KTM; Ewan's was BMW. Ewan deferred. While working to secure the KTM sponsorship, they hosted a company rep who came to take a look at their route and overall plans. After the visit, KTM pulled their offer of sponsorship, acknowledging concerns that the trip might turn out to be a failure. Much shock and expressions of frustration ensued. Soon after, they cut to Ewan's reflections:

"My first reaction was one of kind of... that I, we, blew it. Y'know, that we're just a bunch of spoiled, greedy people. And, um, I just thought about all the things we expect. You know they were offering to give us free motorbikes. Who else gets free motorbikes, d'ya know what I mean? You can't just walk into a shop and demand a free motorbike! Yet WE were..."

Of course they successfully made the trip, even followed that by another one several years later. No doubt BMW was thrilled to sponsor each one.

It's easy to think of the "elite" in the light Ewan McGregor expressed... that they're spoiled or entitled. But I found the actor's reflection thoughtful and worth consideration. Seems to me that no matter what role you play in the world, or what social sphere you inhabit, the reality of your circumstances will provide you continual opportunities to develop feelings of entitlement... OR to reflect upon and learn from your challenges. It seems a simple fact of the human condition to react negatively to disappointment, no matter what your station in life. Left me thinking, until I fell asleep; but those thoughts didn't die, as they were soon followed by a similar reminder.

Today, during a lunch read of "Strange Places" from Chris Guillebeau's The Art of Non-Conformity blog, of some extraordinary challenges during a recent trip of his own, his writing style left me more entertained than anything. It's easy to see the humor from the safety of home, even while recognizing how stressful such scenarios would be for me, were I the one living through an extreme series of travel roadblocks like those he described. They're adventures, right? However because Chris is a truly great storyteller, he candidly revealed some struggles of his own to round out the fascinating details. Struggles it's easy to forget he must have from time to time, since his life does often seem so exciting, even charmed. Then came his own reflections:

"One of the things I frequently remind myself is that I get the chance to do things that almost no one else does. For years before I started actively traveling, I dreamed of it. I read everything I could and envied people I knew who traveled for work or simply in pursuit of adventure. I don’t read much about travel anymore; I live it instead. As I’m on the road to Djibouti and beyond, I call places like these “strange,” implicitly understanding that they are mostly strange to me and not necessarily to people who actually live there.

I also think you can find the magic wherever you are...

But every day, you might find yourself in strange and random places of your own. When it happens, I hope you’ll pause for a moment and think about how unusual it all is, and how beautiful it can be if you remember to appreciate it." Read full post here.

Again, reminders of reality: no matter who or where we are, or what details comprise our life's story, we thrive and we also struggle. Every last one of us moving around on this honkin sphere we call home. It's what we do with those successes AND challenges that makes our lives richer from the complexity of it all.

Today, more separated than ever from feelings of adventure, my own challenges feel so mundane in contrast. Yet they're slices of life. My life. And so I get to make a choice to reflect on the gifts of my own experiences. Recent expressions of frustration at having felt unable to get caught up on work for months have been met with declarations of "That's so great! It means business is good!" Of course my friends are right. When so many are struggling to find work while I struggle to meet my deadlines, it's easy to forget what that alternative reality must feel like. And so I welcome these unexpected reminders of gratitude, reflect, acknowledge the amazing things in my life, and move forward in my attempts to meet the challenges in the best way I know how.

What about you? Any recent reminders from your own story? Share them here; maybe they'll inspire someone else!