Goodness Gracious, this 30 Day Writing Challenge is going to take me into next year at the pace I’m going!
Rather than get down on myself for getting a little behind in the challenge, I’m just going to stay with it and work through one day at a time. I’m enjoying the prompts and it’s nice to be writing more frequently again. I’ve had this nagging itch at my fingers to write these days, and I’ve been feeling like the inspiration that I need to start crafting another novel is just around the corner.
I’ve also decided since my last post that I am going to commit to the goal of running a sub 1 hour 10K this Fall. In the last couple of weeks I’ve added a brand new style of group fitness training to my schedule (just for my own personal training, not to teach!), and a big part of the class is high-intensity treadmill training. I’ve just been so thrilled with the quality of the workouts that I’m getting, I can’t believe that my body can actually do the things that they ask us to do!
In any case, if you have any ideas or suggestions for great 10K races in Ontario this Fall, I would love to hear from you!
Today’s prompt in the 30 Day Challenge is to list 5 places that you would like to visit. What a dream post to write!
I’ll start off by saying that I am actually not one of those people with insatiable wanderlust. I’ve traveled more then a lot of people that I know (with my Dad being from Lebanon and his entire family still living there, we grew up traveling to the Middle East every other year and in the process traveled all over Europe), and don’t get me wrong, I still love to see new places, but I am also very much a person that enjoys the security of setting roots and having a home base. It’s very rare that I’m not anxious to get home by the end of a vacation, and sometimes I swear to you that my ideal vacation would be a full week at home!
That being said….like most people, I do have a “bucket list” of places that I would just die to see, and I’ll share that with you all today.
- Auckland, New Zealand
This isn’t a “want” to get there. It’s a “need”. A “must”. I’m ashamed to admit to you all that when I do get to Auckland, New Zealand, I may very well not even get to see very much of the city. Because I’ll be spending 95% of my time inside this building:
This trip to New Zealand is more of a pilgrimage than a tourist vacation, it’s a trip to New Zealand to participate in the quarterly filming of our Les Mills releases. I can’t even tell you how much it means to me to get there. Every year that I don’t get there, it weighs on me heavily, and I worry that I never will. I really think that one day it will get to the point where I just snap and book it on my own, with or without anyone else to join me!
Auckland, New Zealand absolutely takes number one spot on my list of places I must visit.
2. Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Number 2 on my list is a bit of a cheat because I’ve been there several times. In my last role with my company, I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time in beautiful British Columbia, and I worked all over Vancouver Island, all the way from Campbell River in the North down to Victoria in the South.
Vancouver Island is one of my favorite places that I’ve ever been to. It’s hard to describe, but there’s something about getting off of that ferry or even off of the plane those couple of times that I actually flew over from the mainland for that matter that just feels like the weight of the world has been lifted off of your shoulders. Life on the island is blissfully slow, genuinely kind and at least in my experience, so deliciously simple and beautiful.
My reason for the Island ranking so high on my list of places I’d like to visit (again) is that in all of the times that I went to the Island, I felt like I never had the time to really drink it all in. It’s a real dream of mine to spend a full week on the island with nothing to do except enjoy it all. Maybe even completely on my own.
3. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
I don’t have a great background story for why I’m so fascinated with Rio, but it certainly has something to do with this statue. And potentially something to do with the Fast and the Furious 6.
Don’t judge me.
I’m not religious in the slightest, but there is something that really intrigues me about this statue, and it’s high on my list of things that I must see in my lifetime.
Aside from the big gold Jesus, I’m totally fascinated by a lot of other aspects of Brazilian culture. Their food, the Samba dancing and Carnival, bright colours and exuberant personalities all make Brazil, and Rio in particular a place that I would just love to get to.
4. The Great Pyramids, Giza, Egypt
It truly, truly hurts my soul that a generation of people are being raised in fear of the Middle East and the people that live there. I’ve been to Egypt twice growing up, to Jordan once and to Syria twice. To think of the devastation in these countries now is almost too much to bear.
The fact that I’ve been to Egypt twice (albeit when I was quite young) and that I haven’t had the chance to experience the Great Pyramids is so sad to me, especially because who knows with all of the uncertainty in that part of the world now when we will ever have the chance to go back to see them.
I can’t imagine what the awe that standing at the base of the pyramids would feel like. I would absolutely love to get here some day….somehow.
5. Kenya, Africa
There are a couple of reasons for Kenya making my top 5 list of places to visit. One is because Matt has been fascinated with the Kenyans and their superb running for years now, and I guess some of that has started to rub off on me. I know that one of Matt’s dreams is to spend time running and training in Kenya.
The second reason is a bit more glamorous, and that is that I’ve always wanted to go on an authentic African Safari and see these spectacular animals in their natural habitat. I’ve always been an animal lover, and although I like to see them here in Canada, I’m always so conflicted about going to see them because it just breaks my heart to see them in captivity.
Jeez Louise, did I say at the beginning of this post that I wasn’t a person with wanderlust? I sure sound like one don’t I!
Well….I’m off to research how I can get all of these trips done in the next year… see you soon for Day #6!
-Sara xo
Going The Distance 