Add zest to your life

I found myself engrossed in someone else's conversation/life while walking downtown recently.

It was one of those situations where you don't mean to eavesdrop, but before you know it, you're three blocks into a story you can't pull away from.

A seemingly average girl had flung herself into tirade with her friend about how absolutely bored she was living in Kelowna. She vented about the “superficial people,” the “tired social scene” and the “general lack of fun things to do.”

She finished her outburst by stating her desperate and urgent need to get out of town quickly if she was ever going to enjoy life again.

Now, awkwardly eavesdropping on this girl’s conversation didn't leave me with a lot of context, but I couldn't help feeling upset and frustrated at what she had said.

This was not the first time I had heard a rant like this and I was beginning to believe that the negativity and boredom with one’s own home is becoming a growing epidemic for people all over the world.

It is becoming commonplace to feel discontent and pessimistic about your city, your environment and your lifestyle. Whether you live in New York or Vancouver, there is always someone complaining that there us nothing fun to do and no one fun to do anything with.

Perhaps it is a generational issue or a byproduct of the modern world, but it seems we have forgotten how to fully appreciate the incredible things we have right in front of us.

I admit I have felt this way, but looking back, it seems that this feeling was less a problem with my environment than a deeper issue with me.

It was my inability to step outside of my bubble that left me feeling bored and alone and once I forced myself to go out and explore, I discovered that there much more to my home than I could have ever imagined. 

Discovering the new behind the old

As locals, we are often the worst at taking advantage of the fun things that make our cities so amazing. People come from all over the world to visit the city, and it's sad how little we bother to take in our own fun activities.

How often do you think New Yorkers visit the Statue of Liberty or the people of Paris take a stroll through the Louvre? I would guess very seldom.

Why do we choose to live in these amazing places if we're not even going to take advantage of the things that make them so incredible? 

After living this way for many years, I decided that I had had enough. My goal this month was not only to step outside my bubble and experience new things, but to also explore the incredible place that I called home.

The Okanagan is stunning and unique and sadly other than the highways and major city centres, I've barely explored it at all.

I decided it was about time I took a full trip around Okanagan Lake to see more of the landscape I appreciated only from afar.

Early this month, my girlfriend and I ventured north on Westside Road to hike Sugarloaf Mountain.

 It was like discovering my home for the first time all over again. I had never seen Kelowna or the lake from this prospective and it was almost a surreal feeling to look at something I've seen a thousand times and have it still seem new.

Twenty minutes up a logging road and an hour or so of reasonably challenging hiking, we reached the summit of Sugarloaf and the view of the north Okanagan was absolutely breath taking.

If you haven't experienced this I would recommend taking the trip.

We continued the northern half of our Okanagan exploration by completing the loop around Westside Road and driving back down through Vernon.

The generosity of strangers

One of the most amazing and positive things I've taken away from my journey to scale my life is the generosity I've received along the way.

Whether it's been cooking lessons from Ben Pallet at Kitchen Sync Catering during my "cooking challenge" or impromptu dragon-boat lessons from the Valley Vixons while "experiencing something new" this month,

I've been amazed how easily people have offered their time and expertise. I think it says a lot about humanity and the value of community when someone like me who isn't rich or famous in any way and who's only motivation is to grow, explore and learn can be given so many opportunities solely on the good graces of complete strangers.  

Just this month, I've tired crossfit at Crossfit Okanagan and learned to sail with the Kelowna Yacht Club regatta. I went U-Picking and got a great lesson on organic farming at Duggan Farms in Lake Country, I parasailed with Parasail Kelowna and even got to hold a baby Kangaroo at Kangaroo Creek Farms. 

Beyond the incredible time I've had attempting to experience new things everyday I've also met a ton a genuinely great people that have taught me so much that I never thought was possible. I feel more connected to my community than ever before and I'm growing as a person because of it. 

Have an open mind and a positive attitude and life will take you to amazing places

Looking back on the conversation I overhead with that girl, I realized how similar I had felt at different stages in my life. Frustrated, lost, closed off from a positive community, bored and generally negative about where I was in life.

The only thing I can say now after all of these incredible experiences is that life is what you make it. If you are feeling trapped and frustrated by where you live and what you do then it's up to you to change that.

Amazing opportunities and wonderful people are everywhere, go exploring and I can guarantee you'll discover something worthwhile just by experiencing something new. 

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.