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Just in the past year, there have been two major terrorist attacks, both taking place in Europe. First, there was the attack in Paris, killing over 130 people, followed by the attacks in Belgium killing around 40 people.

Both of these attacks had a tremendous effect on everyone in Europe and even people back here in the states. The question is, will these attacks keep happening? Where is the next attack going to happen? The truth is, no one knows. People can make predictions and start planning for a crisis like that, but until it occurs what do we do? I’ve chosen to not live on the edge, praying that I’m not in the wrong place at the wrong time. I will continue to live my life as I normally would.

I’ve always thought experiences were the best way to learn about the world and even learn about myself. Trying new things and experiencing things I’ve never experienced before is what motivates and drives me to continue living a full life. Because my passion is experiencing the world, I have decided to take a trip this summer. I’ll be going to London; Stuttgart, Germany; Paris; and Madrid.

Some people have asked me, why? Why am I going on this trip when all these terrible things are happening in the general area of where I’m going? Before I answered these questions, I explained that I have made a choice. I knew I could either sit back and put my dreams on hold because of a possibility that something bad could happen, or I could take the trip and let fate take its’ course.

Le Petit Cambodge is the restaurant that was bombed in the Paris attacks. They were set to re-open just months after the bombing. They weren’t scared of life happening; instead they took a stand, and people flooded into the restaurant for their grand reopening. They came to honor the people that lost their lives near that corner and as an act of defiance against terrorism.

Another thing to take into consideration is the fact that these attacks can happen anywhere. I’m from a small town of 2,000 people; of course, most people that live there are convinced that nothing like that could ever happen in a town with that few of people. And nothing like that would ever happen in the United States. Well, look at the facts. Gun control in the United States has caused many attacks and killings that have impacted our lives just as much as some terrorist attacks.

In 2009, legendary football coach Ed Thomas was shot and killed in his weight room in Parkersburg, Iowa–a town of less than 2,000 people. It wasn’t a mass shooting or terrorist attack, but it was a major crisis. I’m sure none of the people in that town thought anything like that would ever happen to them. This goes to show that the population or size of a town doesn’t matter.

In the end, anything can happen anywhere. It’s unpredictable. The choice is whether we should live in fear of bad things happening, or continue to live as we normally would.

My answer is no. No, I will not stop living my life, and no, I’m not going to live in fear. So, I am going to take this trip this summer, and it will probably be one of the best experiences of my life.