Searching for happiness in Barcelona

I’m sitting on a bus riding through Barcelona on the way to Guell park, as Debbie and her friend Min, who we just met up with, are catching up.  Seeing a friend in-person for the first time in 6 weeks, feels wonderful, and has made me reflect a bit on relationships, happiness and life.

We set out on this trip, in order to live a life of no regrets. We wanted to make sure that we saw the places that interest us and have experiences that may be more challenging to have later in our life. That was our primary goal. But in the back of my mind, there was always an inkling that even though I’m quite satisfied with life and work, travelling the world would bring me even more happiness.

When you’re in the office, people often talk about looking forward to retirement, and dream of what it would feel like to be totally free to set your own schedule.  No commitments. We’ve all had those conversations about what we would do if we won the lottery. My answer was always travel the world for a bit and then work on meaningful projects, regardless of what those are. I also had the misconception that I’d be even happier doing this than the normal 9-5.

Now that we’ve been on the road for over a month and settled into our travel routine I’ve now busted this mental myth that I had. Don’t get me wrong, travelling is amazing. I’m grateful every day for this trip, and feel fortunate I’ve had the chance to do this. I’m happy every day we are on the road, but I’m not actually substantially happier than I was while working in a job that I cared about. Less stressed, definitely; happier, no.  This situation may be different if I was in a job I disliked, or had other life circumstances in my way, but in my current situation, happiness is pretty consistent.

I often read books that talk about the fact that happiness comes from within, and that it’s a state of mind more so than something that can be attained by achieving a milestone.  I’ve always believed in this notion, but sometimes lose sight of it when I’m caught up in the hustle of working, life and Toronto. Over the past month and a half of travelling I’ve come to experience this truth.

There’s a TED talk, about a Harvard study that was done on happiness, and that the most significant factor is having close relationships with a few people.  Being a bit isolated on the road has also highlighted this for Debbie and I.  We miss our friends and family back home, and are always skyping and facetiming them to try to share our travel experiences with them.  I’m growing to appreciate these relationships more, and can’t wait to see everyone when we’re back home.

So in a few months when I’m back at the office, dreaming about some far off beach, hopefully this blog post will remind me to smell the coffee and enjoy life in the present.  The beach can wait, at least for a few months.

Spain pictures below.

Who’s that random guy?

Sagrada familia, coolest church I’ve seen

We met up with Min!!!

Veggie paella