“If we are inclined to forget how much there is in the world besides that which we anticipate, then works of art are perhaps a little to blame, for in them we find a work the same process of simplification or selection as in the imagination, artistic accounts involved severe abbreviations of what reality will force upon us.” –  Alain De Botton

Four years ago I traveled to Kauai as a graduation gift from my grandparents. If I am being completely honest, I was not all that excited about the trip. It wasn’t that I was ungrateful, but more that I felt like I knew exactly what I could expect from a vacation to Hawaii. White sandy beaches, drinking out of coconuts, Luaus and tropical fish. All of which are things I was looking forward to, but there was a serious lack of anticipation. After a delayed flight, and switching of planes my best friend and I were ready to get off of the plane. We were met by my grandparents, both dressed in Hawaiian prints – with beautiful lei’s ready to put around our necks. My grandpa had rented a jeep with us in mind. The first thing I noticed about the island was that it smelled like flowers. The weather was balmy but fresh, and I could hear the waves from the airport parking lot. It was in that moment when I realized why there are so many, movies, photos and paintings of this place. Hawaii was like something I would imagine in a dream. As soon as we got to the resort I had my first ever “pinch me” moment. The view from the balcony was unlike anything I’d seen in real life, and was more beautiful than any picture or painting. From then on, I was in utter bliss. I experienced so much joy in things as simple as walking to the convince store – because everything was so pleasant and I had not expected that to be the case. This quote from De Botton reminded me of that experience. I hadn’t allowed myself to anticipate anything  new before my trip because I let the simplification of  others experiences do that work. This experience taught me a lot about expectation, and as I plan to travel to a new city that I have heard a lot about, I plan to make note of my expectations and continue to revisit them throughout my trip.

While my Kauai story turned out to be a beautifully pleasant surprise – I doesn’t always work that way. De Botton touches on the concept of disappointment in the first chapter of The Art of Travel. It i true that with expectation often comes disappointment. I don’t believe that it’s because the world is a disappoint place but rather  we let our imagination hinder what reality offers. De Botton writes “The present might be compared to a long-winded film from which anticipation selects photographic highlights.” As I reflected on these notions that this book suggests, I got to thinking – What things will stand out to me in New Orleans? What will I take the time to write about in detail? What will I find important or significant? and Why? What will I leave out?  For a while I was in a creative writing program at Evergreen. My professor insisted that we always keep a notebook and a pen within arms reach. After the first week of recording every single seemingly insignificant thought or idea, it became apparent to me how fleeting my thoughts are. And every time I sat down to write, I could open that book. It’s like an all access pass to your own brain, and it proved to be a terrifying but beautiful tool. De Botton, in his writing, reflects on his traveling experiences with such vivid detail. He writes about things like the barbecue on the veranda, that had seemingly no significance, but for some reason he chose to write about it. And it’s details like that, that really put you in a place. I want that for my writing this quarter. I want to record every thought, idea, or question. I want to draw litter in alley ways if that’s what captures my attention – and I want to do it without immediately questioning why, but rather make space to reflect later on. The more I give myself  to reflect on, the more I will learn. I am going to practice getting in the swing of this intense recording for the weeks leading up to my trip with hopes of it being a less distracting tool during my time in the city. I look forward to revisiting this book while I’m in New Orleans.