As I stand here, staring at the floating city in front of me- Venice- I am amazed that such a place like this exists. It’s day one of three here, and my class has taken a taxi boat to a little island just about a half hour from the main part of Venice.
As we were walking to our final destination, we walked over two bridges, a few tiny walk ways, and down a couple quaint alleys. When my gaze was met with the water once again, I had realized that we were standing directly across from where we had been 20 minutes previous- just across the river. By boat, I could’ve reached the final destination in a matter of about 10 seconds- and my goodness, if a bridge had been just where I needed it to be, the journey would’ve lasted a good 20 seconds. But nevertheless, instead, 20 minutes it was.
I wouldn’t have had it any other way. If there was just a boat or a bridge, I wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to find all the nooks and crannies, crevices and cracks of this little, beautiful island.
It was a good reminder that sometimes, there are shortcuts, or something seems so visible, yet out of reach… but it’s about the journey. Sometimes it takes us a little longer to get where we are going- but along the way, we must challenge ourselves to find the good, the beauty, and purpose.
