When someone asks you if you like to explore, do you imagine
some far away place? Do you think
of some distant land, with wild exotic animals and indigenous people who have
their own unique customs and culture?
This is one way to explore. But, there are many ways to go explore, and some adventures
can be found right in your own town or backyard.
Frog fishing in Hooper Nebraska.
Exploring means learning about a new place, experience or
thing that you were unaware of before.
One of the most important lessons I have learned along the way is the
fact that nothing ever stays the same.
Everything is constantly changing, growing or evolving.
So, even in places that are familiar, have you stopped and
looked closely at your own backyard? Are their things out there that you have overlooked because
you were so busy getting to the next thing on the to do list?
The library in Dodge Nebraska. How many places are there to explore in a library?
Two young men running down the sidewalk playing tag in Scribner Nebraska.
I am just finishing up a project where I have spent a part
of my summer exploring every town in my home county of Dodge in the state of
Nebraska.
A man enters a restaurant owned and operated by the town of Uehling Nebraska.
I have met wonderful people, ate marvelous food, heard funny
stories and seen beautiful scenes.
All because I left my ideas of what I think it’s like at home and went
searching with a new set of eyes.
Even in places you wouldn't expect, new things are waiting to be experienced.
Lesson learned by The Dean of Travel: Life is never boring when you are brave
enough to find new experiences in familiar things.
Questions:
- Have
you ever been surprised to find something new in a place that you have
been many times before? If
so, what was it and why were you surprised?
2. What types of activities do you
normally do in your backyard?
What could you do new or different?
3. Curiosity is one of our best qualities. What are you curious about in your own
community?
Cheers,
Dean Jacobs
The Dean of Travel
