Keagan’s World

I hate running.

I know I’ve already told you all this when I ran my pseudo-marathon a couple months ago. For those of you new here, yeah, I ran a 1.1 miles/1.8 kilometers every hour for a 24-hour period even though I hate running.

I also hate scorching heat w/ humidity. Specifically w/ humidity.

So obviously it makes sense that amidst Buenos Aires’s biggest heat wave of the summer, I decided it made sense to start going on runs in the middle of the afternoon. You may be asking what’s wrong with me, am I okay, or “blink twice if you’re in danger”: 😐😑😐😑😐

But are you really all that surprised? The most common phrase I hear on a daily basis from my friends is some variation of “you’re crazy”.

Anyways, la verdad es que I was laying in my room after class three days ago taking a little siesta during the hottest time of the day for a little recharge, but I started feeling a little guilty. I’d been sitting on my rear all day the last couple of days and even though most of that time I was learning Spanish, I still started feeling like a lazy POS. Sometimes I get like that when I’m doing something “unproductive” and I always combat it with something “hyper-productive” that occasionally edges on arguably stupid.

Like running during the hottest time of the day in the middle of a heatwave.

I had seen this video awhile back that took a cool perspective on running while traveling – it’s a beautiful way to get familiar with a city. And for whatever reason, in my moment of guilt, this video popped in my head. So I popped on my shoes and off I went. And then it did it the day after, and the day after. Honestly, I’m probably going to do it again after this post.

Why?

Well for one, I realized I’m most certainly out-of-shape.

For another, there actually was something kinda beautiful about it. Running down the street, taking note of cool restaurants, shops, parks, and anything else I saw. A lot of “Man, how did I not know about this?” Every time it’s somewhere and something new. Like the more I explore, the more I realize I don’t know about this city.

But it’s not just about the city. It’s about everything. Food, school, sports, the freaking world. You ever notice that? The more you learn or experience about something, the less you feel like you know about it. First time I really noticed this was when I left my hometown for Uni. If nothing else, just hearing the “wild” stories from friends about their childhood, the crazy stuff they’d done, their audacious ambitions for their lives – it makes you feel small.

A lot of “Damn, that’s crazy. I wish I had done that.”

Like this trip.

I thought this was a bold decision on my end coming to South America and living in a foreign country alone for 4 months “on a whim”. But now I’ve met people and I know I’m soft. Some of the stuff people have done, are doing, are going to do is just crazy man. Like on the road for years only knowing what they’re doing or where they’re sleeping like 2 weeks in advance at most. And the stories are just wild.

It’s made me realize just how little I’ve seen or know about the world man.

I know that sounds depressing, and for a moment maybe it is. Ignorance really is bliss. It’s easy to conquer your perception of the world when you haven’t actually seen the world. When you step outside your bubble and take chances, your world gets rocked – every freaking time.

But while for a moment that realization that you don’t know jack squat is tough to swallow, there’s another realization that eventually follows it: Now that you know it’s out there, it can be you.

You replace “wish I had done” with “am going to do”.

Now I know how to book an off-books trip to Antarctica at a discount. Now I know about the motorbike loop you can trek around Vietnam on. Now I know how people hit the road and choose their next stop on a whim for months and even years.

It’s made me rethink everything about my life plans. Now more than ever I want to see the world.

Ignorance may be bliss, but knowledge is motivation.

I thought I’d be done traveling in May. But that was before I had knowledge – knowledge of culture, experiences, and people.

So maybe I’ll be done in May. But there’s a good chance I won’t