What if Columbus had not made the decision to venture across the high seas? That was certainly not a walk in the park, a stoll along the beach or a Sunday drive! Throughout the many, many decades of celebration, have you ever thought about the voyage itself? Sure, we celebrate the discovery of America but what did it take for this to truly become a day of celebration? What were some of the conditions and hardships endured while crossing treacherous waters in hopes of one day citing land? The key word here is HOPE with a willingness to TRY and find new land!
Visit Awakenings for some history surrounding Christopher Columbus and Echoes of the Sea. . .
Exploration did not end with America’s discovery. That was only the beginning. Here is some food for thought in the form of a quote from the 1500s:
“We ate only old biscuit reduced to powder, all full of worms and stinking of the
urine that the rats made on it. And we drank water that was yellow and
stinking.”~Antonio Pigatetta 1500s, a sailor aboard the Magellan
Step back in time: Would you have the willingness to try?
catnipoflife 
Thank you for a thought-provoking post, and happy Columbus Day!
I’m glad Columbus was brave enough to venture beyond his comfort zone. Sometimes we need to do that in our everyday lives.
Dicy
Ever since I became close friends with some Native Americans, I have trouble regarding Columbus day with a lot of enthusiasm. You know, people already LIVED here when Columbus arrived. It wasn’t unexplored wilderness. It was home to othe people and we stole it by killing its rightful occupants. I don’t think it is something we should be celebrating, sorry.
I have mixed feelings about Columbus too because of the way he exploited and massacred so many natives. I still enjoyed your post, however, as we do want to venture outside our comfort zones now and then and explore “new territories!”
Happy Columbus Day! If he hadn’t sailed here then it might be Mayflower Day instead lol 😉
The thing is that it Should be Mayflower Day! Columbus never set foot in North America, reaching the Bahamas on his first voyage and discovering Cuba and South America on his other voyages! So it wasn’t he who killed the native North Americans…
but have a happy day anyway!!!!
GREAT point! I guess that is why the history books refer to the Americas. Hope you had a happy day:>) I have often wondered why the Vikings were not attributed more to the discovery in the 10th century.
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Columbus proves that without that risk we can be nothing. With that risk – the world is ours
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In my youth I never considered myself an explorer. That all changed when I became enamored with motorcycle touring. It’s hard to describe the feeling of total freedom you get when your on a bike riding down a two-lane back road. All your troubles seem to slip into a place where they can just wait.
Then my adventures took a turn. I became infatuated with photography. I really had the bug bad. Put the two hobbies together and “Voila”, you’re an explorer. That was 32 years and 500,000 miles ago. At 63 I’m still riding and still carrying a camera everywhere I go. I’ll either plan a trip using Google Maps or just pick a direction. It’s all good. – Bob
That is awesome! Take a peek at https://catnipoflife.wordpress.com/riding-in-the-wind/ The dedication is sad but I think you will like the poem:>)
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