"AROUND THE WORLD AND BACK AGAIN"

     

                                              Journeying Without Traveling

            Some of the greatest explorers of our time made their mark on the world by going places few have ever followed. They traveled by ship, plane, over land and sea. But none ever did it without taking one step without transportation. 

            I want to share with you a way to travel without leaving the safety of your home. How? You might ask. Well, of course, it’s through the pages of a book. 

            The least expensive and safest way to travel is through the pages of a book. Transforming your mind and creating vivid images of things we’ve never witnessed before. Meeting people we never knew existed and forging forever friendships. 

            The imagination is a powerful tool. All it needs is a little fuel which produces plenty food for thought and then you are on your way. My favorite pastime is reading, allowing the words to transport me through time discovering fresh ideas. 

            No matter what your favorite genre might be, there is something amazing for everyone, just waiting to engage you in a relaxing, thought provoking journey. 

            As a child, I loved using my imagination because I spent quite a lot of time alone. When I wasn’t creating my own fantasy worlds I read stories fashioned by other authors.  

            Aesop, the 6^th century Greek storyteller was among my favorite books of fables. Growing up, my mother bought us a set of encyclopedias’ which included the Childcraft selection.  

            For hours, I would find a comfortable place to read and not be disturbed, and work my way through the many volumes of tales that was always entertaining as well informative. 

            It was the only way to travel in my opinion. I visited places like Egypt, and Africa. Australia, Greenland and both the North and South pole. Books were my introduction to geography. The course meticulously charted out for me as I navigated the vast globe without physically going anywhere.

            Along the way I obtained knowledge, history, learned about different cultures, and when I grew tired of overland travels, I took to the sky. Exploring the moon and all the planets and stars. I learned their names and how they were created. I discovered the atmospheric differences between earth and the heaven before I ever entered a classroom.

            I became the navigator on each journey, viewing all the places I never dreamed existed. I accomplished all these things without taking a step.  Going around the world and back again, journeying without traveling.