Why sharing experience matters

During my second european trip, I was in love with a girl living in California. I wrote emails to her everyday and spent hordes of cash on stupid phone cards calling her. My trip was a personal epic; the places and people were wondrous and beautiful, and yet something didn't seem quite right. I was missing her and, more to the point I wanted her to see everything with me. I wanted to share my experience. Now, don't get me wrong, I made dozens of friends along the way and loved everyone, and yet I didn't have that special special someone in a special place. I was in the garden of Eden with no Eve. Remember that Adam was alone at first, and I believe it was God himself who said, "It is not right for man to be alone."

Today I received a call from a friend, who was lying on a beach in Thailand. She said that she was in heaven and why, you bloody bastard, weren't you here? I am in heaven, so why aren't you here with me? I mean, she was really upset. I remember that same painful longing, that visceral angst when I happened upon one of the most gorgeous places in the world, and the person I wanted to share it with was sitting at a workstation 8000 miles away, drinking coffee.

Why is it that we feel compelled to share our experiences? In Shadowlands, a student tells C.S. Lewis "my father said we read to know that we are not alone. "

Is that why you are reading this now?

Koh Samui

Longing

I realized I haven't travelled in a long time. I've been working every day on this business and there is no time or money to go anywhere. I just got a call from a friend who's flying from Bangkok to Ko Samui right now. She spent yesterday at the floating market tour, followed by massages, and then a night of mojitos and now flying out of the crappy Bangkok smell and into the island life. I wish I was there.

I realize I won't be there for a long time.

ko samui