Sometimes I think to myself "holy schnickey's the world is awesome!".
As I’ve grown this wonderment comes more frequently and readily – like, for example, on the way to work when I’m blasting across the river on the freeway. I notice the beauty of the riverbanks’ earth tones and the contrast of the clouds & the sky and what the city I live in looks like that day. When I experience this ‘noticing’ and I feel grateful that I am a part of this moment. But those moments weren’t always there. I had to go far away to learn to appreciate what’s close.
Going to strange places like Japan, the Ukraine or Laos tickled my mind and my senses. In these places, I had experiences that cracked my perceptions open, and I was drawn to the profound and diverse beauty of this planet.
After I started working my 9-5 job, and felt all the financial strain that cometh with the commitment to acquiring and keeping stuff, I found myself quite in a huff that (in my mind, anyway) I wasn’t able to travel. My friends were off to Tanzania or Vietnam or Spain or Jamaica or Oz and I was biking around Edmonton feeling sorry for myself.
This intense desire to leave – to be ANYWHERE BUT HERE ended up in an inward journey…of learning yoga and meditation and (by default) the art of appreciation.
And so…by surrendering to what is and enjoying what was in front of me – from eating a piece of fruit to my daily commute to work, I began to travel once again. Isn’t it better to be lost in a moment of beauty than road rage?
My desire to travel is just one of the outlets I can use to explore my curiosity and interest in the world and to discover the magnitude of my appreciation of beauty and excellence.
That said…I’m still jonesin’ for an adventure afar.
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