Less than a couple of years ago, my friends (or people who publicly claim to know me well) would not necessarily have used words like “impulsive” while answering questions about what kind of person I am. This past year has been a tremendous journey; one which I haven’t had much time to document, but one I’ve had more than enough time to relish.

One of my best knee-jerk decisions this year was to enroll in classes that had nothing to do with my major. Through these classes, I have made friends and memories I would not have if I hadn’t enrolled. Another — a more recent decision — was to go on a solo trip to a city I know nothing about. So I booked a flight to Denver, Colorado, and stayed at a complete stranger’s apartment for five days and basically whiled away my time on public transport, in vegan restaurants and walking around taking pictures of signs and grinning at statues. An unusual Thanksgiving, to say the least.

Colorado is a rather strange place with a peculiar smell to it and really long queues at every local deli. I did not mind; they were all probably testament to the good food. Anyway, before I digress too hard too fast, I want to go back to my point of being impulsive. Why is it so hard to be the first person to order food on the spur of the moment? Maybe it comes from thinking too much.

When I decided to head to Denver randomly, I realized that all this time I had been saving up money for something far, far ahead in the future. But then it struck me — not so gently — that perhaps the future really is now. So I went ahead and booked the tickets and found a guy I had never met before online and managed to work out a lodging agreement with him.

Again, a very curious vibe to the city. I have been to only a couple other states, and Denver has been the most… interesting. From running into old ladies on public transport who were somehow very keen on getting me to visit a hospital (as a tourist, of course) that specializes in cancer treatment to running into a guy who offered to pay for my Taco Bell order if I got him some drugs from the local dispensary (I did not do it, but we chatted for a while — he was a chill dude), I have had a whole lot of fun from this trip.

At the end, I will refrain from telling readers to go out and impulse-buy tickets, especially around Thanksgiving week. Instead, I shall encourage readers to do that one thing they’ve been putting off because there is just so much to think through. I say go for it — you’ll either learn a lesson or earn an adventure. As for me, although I shall keep saving up and doing solo trips in the foreseeable future, I’m not ready to add “wanderlust” to my Instagram bio just yet.