Traveling and Spontaneity

A few years ago while attending a conference in Naples, Italy, I took the afternoon off and took an unplanned and unexpected dip in the harbor overlooking Mt. Vesuvius.  I had brought my son along on the trip and we were enjoying a nice walk down the waterfront when we each had the same thought.  We saw the locals enjoying some tiny little specks of beach along the water and the sun was awfully hot that day.  My son and I were not really dressed for the beach or for swimming, however, walking down the boardwalk we noticed that the water looked very inviting.  Once we hit the water in the clothes we were wearing, we floated around a while glancing over at Vesuvius and the moment just seemed surreal.  The moment did not last too long and we resumed our journey, but the break was worth it.

Sometimes in life it is best to just take a chance and enjoy the moment.  The water was not the cleanest (it is, after all, a very busy harbor with many ships coming and going), we were not prepared, but we enjoyed the swim nevertheless.  I am not the most spontaneous person, but when I am, it is usually quite enjoyable.