How To Be a Genius…

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Blogatrixx

The definition of “genius” by H.L. Mencken is “the ability to prolong one’s childhood.”  I wholeheartedly agree.  I miss being a child, and perhaps that is why I love to travel.  When I travel, I get to be free.  I get to explore.  I get to play.  I get to discover.  I learn new things.  And during this process I get lost, and I am happy about it.   When was the last time you felt complete freedom, learned of new things, and discovered the beauty of the world around you such as you experienced when you were a child? These are the usual daily experiences of our youth, and it is a shame that it usually ends when we grow up.  But it doesn’t have to.  At all.  If you want to feel exhilarated, try traveling to a foreign land where you don’t speak the language, where burgers and fries are not on the menu, and you have no idea where the hell you’re going.  Yes, this may seem frustrating at the outset until you try it.  When you learn a new foreign word, you feel proud like you used to when you were a kid.  When you try a new food that you discover and you all of a sudden love, your taste buds are screaming at you as if to say, “where the hell have you been?”  When you get lost, frustrated and tired from walking all day, and you discover a beautiful place or sight that blows you away, you are in awe at the magnificence of this world.  You take that picture-perfect shot with your camera where the moment stays with you forever in your mind.  Your brain explodes with activity like it used to when you were a child, and then you want more.  And more.  At least I do. 

Another benefit of travel, as well as feeling like a child again, is that you get to talk to strangers as well as make fast friends.  As kids we made friends quickly but as adults, it’s rare.  My night out with a gay man from London that I talked to at a tapas bar in Barcelona was fun because of the spontaneity of what we did afterwards.  He just bought an apartment in Barcelona a few hours before meeting me and he was so excited that he  wanted to share.  I went to see his place, and he bought a bottle of champagne for us to toast.  We were out on his balcony breathing the gorgeous Mediterranean air, champagne glass in our hands, and I thought it was hilarious that he was drunk and he actually had the audacity to say to me, “Don’t think I’m going to sleep with you.”  It is a pity that I lost his card because I really wanted to visit him in London…or Barcelona.  Yes, there are numerous others that I thoroughly enjoyed meeting.  My recent friend, Lorenzo, from Italy, still tweets me, and my mind wonders (and wanders) if we would ever meet again.  Of course, I still think about the Turkish doctor.  I just realized that he was supposed to visit Chicago in March, and today is April!  I still laugh as I think about meeting Luigi with a thick Italian accent in Prague where we climbed the 287 steps together up the castle towers.  He was trying so desperately, huffing and puffing up the forever winding stairs to keep up with my pace, but I knew that he was dying inside while trying to keep up with me!   The list goes on…


The exhilaration of being alive, being carefree, discovering and learning new things, and playing with new friends are the norm during childhood.  Who wouldn’t want to feel this way on a consistent basis?  But since we can’t stay kids forever (damn it!), we must find new ways to tap into our childhood.  I hope you find what works for you on becoming a genius.  As I’m always planning my next travel adventure, my thoughts are always, “Yes, the world is my playground…”


These girls noticed that I was taking their picture and were trying to
outdo each other, going higher and higher, on their swings.
Taken at a park in Barcelona in front of the Sagrada Familia.


About Blogatrixx

I took a solo trip to Istanbul in May, 2012 that changed me forever. It started my passion for travel, and it also ignited my passion for photography. This blog was created to express and appreciate the beauty of life through my travels.
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