Years ago, a family friend hosted a returning émigré with her daughter, who was born and raised in Texas. He had gotten word the daughter really wanted to see Italy, so he and his wife planned a trip to Milan during their stay in Germany, along with a full two-week schedule to show them as much as possible in both countries.
On their way to Milan, the couple asked the daughter what most interested her in visiting Italy, and she said: “The stamp in the passport!” After exchanging looks and a brief “uh-oh,” our friends informed her that, seeing as she had already entered Europe via Frankfurt, she would not be receiving any additional stamps into her passport. Open borders, and so on. They also braced for what was about to come.
Over the next few days, the group went all over Milan. They visited the famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II with all its luxurious shops. They entered the duomo. They walked through the Sforzesco Castle grounds. Meanwhile, the daughter did not look left or right. “I’m not sure she saw anything at all,” our friend said. “Only the horses.”
Towards the end of the trip, the group came across two carabinieri on horseback. Being greatly familiar with horses due to her lifestyle in Texas, the daughter went nuts. “Wow! Look at those horses! Beautiful!” She was glued to the scene until they dragged her to the next stop.
Upon returning to Germany, our friend took a marker and crossed out all further items on his two-week itinerary. “There’s no point in showing this girl anything,” he concluded. They somehow passed the time, the family returned to America, and that was that.
At 19 years old, we just might write off the daughter’s disinterest as juvenile frustration, but the question still stands: Are you happy to be here? Or are you vacationing neither for the future nor for the present?
If it’s only stamps and the familiar you’re after, you needn’t fly halfway around the globe. A walk to the post office will do just fine.
If you’re not willing to be present for what’s there, don’t go wherever “there” is. You’ll not only miss what’s in plain sight but also what people would otherwise be willing to show you, and the only regret worse than a missed chance is realizing you’ve let someone down for no good reason.