A good friend messaged me this week with an interesting quote:

“The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything.”

I have travelled to many beautiful parts of the world and had many adventures with this friend; the first excerpts that come to mind include a boozy pedalo trip up the Prague river, waking up in an underwater tent at an eastern European music festival, and exploring the intricate markets of Istanbul.

Cruising the Vltava River in the Czech Republic in 2010

I wondered for a while if what he was saying had any weight to it and how it might relate to our expeditions from summers past.

Was this quote a mindless copy and paste from his new iPhone app?

Probably.

But I was eager to find a deeper meaning, and so it nested in the back of my mind.

I got up on Sunday morning to find that my housemate had borrowed my car and I suddenly found myself eager to go running. I get like this sometimes, and experience tunnel vision for just grabbing my trainers and going.

I decided to stray from my usual route of the beautiful Cornish coast and head inland, just to test that my stubborn running habits were paying off, and that I was in fact running the nicest route in my area.

How wrong I was.

I ascended up through a nearby town and an overgrown wooded stream to a reservoir that I didn’t know existed. The scene literally stopped me in my tracks, and I struggled to believe that such a striking landscape existed so close to my front door.

The stunning Argal Dam, Falmouth

It was half way around these idyllic lands that I realised what my friend was talking about. He and I have experienced many amazing faraway lands and yet all we really need [and want] is right here.

Yes, visiting the incredible thermal spas of Hungary was great and trips like those of yesteryear provide a wealth of excitement and exhilaration – but you can’t do that every day.

Runaway water at College Reservoir, Falmouth

My Sunday morning run made me feel that I had truly made the best of what I had.

And, in fact, this was just as fulfilling as an inter-railing trip around Europe!

To keep up with my running progress, check out my Strava profile.