In Pursuit of an Extraordinary Life

[Music] I Am David Asen and I am 93 I've had the most extraordinary life while in college this documentary

quote sounded like honey there's potential for one to reach the end of life and have no regrets it had all been seen done and experienced a grand carpm as if all of life could be seized that

way but as College led to adulthood I've had a creeping feeling of constantly wondering is this it the mundane nature of daily life shocked me I was spending much more time doing laundry washing

dishes and just trying to stay afloat than any mysticism of Youth in the big city would have promised but there had been something I've always wanted to do the chance to see aive volcano explosion over sunrise

in Guatemala I was sure this was a cure for the mundane something radically extraordinary fueled by the desire for something different this is a story about the

pursuit of an extraordinary life and how it didn't work out in the end welcome to Antigua Guatemala a colorful home base for the akanga volcano track we've been on the road backpacking for a

bit now but this was the stop I was waiting for it's the morning of and I'm so freaking excited Stones

we clothes we live in all the tales we will tell our children oh

oh we're taking the high rooll all right we're at the trail head we got our hiking stick we're Unstoppable let's go I lied we were not Unstoppable this

was one of the most humbling experiences of my life the quick elevation gain made my lungs gasping for air this person brought liquor to bring them through though so now we're about halfway up

this volcano it's so freaking cold oh my God we had a cute pack lunch that reminded me of middle school and continue on our way I'm sure the views

were beautiful but while charging up a steep incline my eyes were on the ground the whole time we hiked through a cloud forest for a while unsure if we'd ever make it through the fog after a bit

sunlight broke through and the sky was flooded with blue there's something surreal about being above the clouds a weird exposition of a plain seat view gred by the gravel Below on tough hikes

like this I often forget why I've gotten myself into it in the first place until a view like this reminds me all over again we reached base camp in 5 hours keeping the remaining 2 hours up for the

sunrise in the morning it was already an incredible view but I kept telling myself just wait until the morning that'll be the main act the clouds slowly dance along as a volcano erupted

around every 30 minutes it didn't feel real this was an act of nature so Grand acting on the world with or without me it made me feel still small but in a

good way like being content with your insignificance as the sun set the streaks of lava became more apparent it was a vivid crimson red that Streed across the skies I stayed out to take pictures as long as I could but the

below freezing temperatures were getting to my fingers and toes we stayed in Cabin hosting 16 like sardines I tossed and turned the whole night I couldn't wait for the morning this was the moment

I've been waiting for but the morning greeted us with Fierce winds a deeper fog and icy rain thunder echoed in the distance as a full moon diffused like a Halo above could

barely see in front of myself with the last 2 hours of akat Tango oxygen kept thinning out and Tiny Steps took all my effort the whole way up I believed it would clear it had to

be because if I didn't believe it would climbing would have been absurd we reached the top and waited waited and waited until it would clear and it never did the wind continued to howl and a part of

me was glad the team decided to call it off I don't think I would have come down on my own stubborn me would have just froze into a statue while waiting for the view I thought I was

promised that extraordinary Sunrise never came to fruition things were nice but I was holding off being fully happy for an uncertain future I'd been waiting and yearning for a future that never

came meanwhile life was happening all around me and things were nice I just don't think I care to notice this is it this is life there feels a need to chase

shiny things to have an extraordinary life but I'm learning more and more it's learning to be where you are desire is a funny thing it can be a compassed towards the life you want but if you

only focus on what you lack it just seeds in happiness the grass is greener where you water [Music] it