What happens when you get to the end of your rope and suddenly realize you don’t want to do whatever it is you are doing anymore? You can either stop doing it or develop a better attitude and love what is.

I’m not giving up travel—heavens no! I’m just feeling my age at the moment. Today I felt like the old lady in the group. While taking in one of the most incredible cultural treasures of the world, all I could think of was how insufferable 98 degrees and 88% humidity felt and how I didn’t want to climb anymore slippery, steep and uneven stone steps. And wondering what it would be like if the only medical professional on the trip would need to request an ambulance out of Angkor Wat…

I came to Cambodia partly to see Angkor Wat, an expansive system of Hindu/Buddhist temples that date back to the 12th century. These ruins, another UNESCO World Heritage site, are located in the jungle, and therefore dramatically covered with moss, vines and lichen. The city of Siem Reap keeps the skyline low enough to see the temples at sunrise. Unfortunately it rained cats and dogs last night, and we wasted our precious sleep time heading out at 5:00 AM this morning: no sunrise for us soggy tourists.

Still, it’s hard to be in a place like this and not have a sense of awe, trying to imagine what life would have been like a thousand years ago. What it would have been like to live in an era when people revered mighty kings and gods enough to build massive structures with primitive methods. So many of the cathedrals, pyramids and temples travelers trek to see were inspired by civilizations we can’t begin to understand.

So maybe I am not just learning about cultural treasures but also to love what is. Being here has helped put my tiny little life back into the historical perspective it deserves. Generations have eaten, prayed and loved and so have I. I came here to pay respect, to learn about the lives of others, to right some personal upheavals, to remember those who passed, and to dedicate myself to larger principles. And that’s pretty much what every civilization does too.