i recently got a job as a stand in for a t.v. commercial. it was mind numbingly boring. sitting around for HOURS just waiting as people adjusted lights and camera angles was tedious. it would have been easy to get fed up with the boredom, but i had to force myself to zoom out and realize, “holy shit, what am i doing here? i’m sitting in a studio while a bunch of creative japanese men and women zoom around me, doing what they love.”
it’s easy to slip out of the traveler mentality after living in a place for over two years. on the train, in the classroom, in the grocery store. it’s easy to succumb to boredom or frustration. but i’m trying to fight that urge. i’m trying to make a conscious decision about how i react to life. instead of letting life just happen to me, or around me, i’m trying to shape how i react to it. recently i’ve been trying to zoom out more frequently, and realize just how unique my situation is. i can still be a traveler, even on the street i live on.
