mahlersharieI’ve been on this Earth for 30 years by 2021, but I believe I was reborn when I left my house – on my own – to visit another country. You could have predicted the havoc and hullabaloo that ensued (IE: Little to no understanding of the language, not one experience using public transportation, and absolutely no confidence in myself to be an independent woman.)
But- traveling will light a fire in you.
The chaos is compelling. Your senses are awakened. Your heart opens.
And every trip after, through highs and lows, I’ve learned a few lessons on getting up and getting out:
- Unexpected living
Your day begins differently. You wake up earlier, load your car with more than you’ll need for your day, review your itinerary. Your daily routine is instantly different.
Maybe you love your life and this getaway was scheduled to enhance it. But maybe, this upcoming trip was an opportunity to step away from your monotonous day to day life. Maybe it’s both. Either way, you’re challenging your habit cycle and proving your control over the story you write.
Embrace the pages overturning. Not everything will go as planned, but it will still be your story to own and the one that would have never happened if you didn’t commit to stepping out of a life expected. - Unrequited moments of silence
I beg you- visit one of our great National or State Parks and head out on a trail. Our day to day lives are loud. Notifications, conversations, traffic, etc…YOU NEVER GET YOURSELF SOME DANG PEACE AND QUIET.
And to be honest, you probably didn’t even know you needed it. - The Pocahontas Effect
This is my favorite thing I’ve come to learn about traveling. In the 1990s, we had the power ballad, Colors of the Wind, to guide us about accepting and learning from others who are different than us.
“You think the only people who are people, are the people who look and think like you. But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you’ll learn things you never knew you never knew.”
Maybe this isn’t your intention setting out on a trip. But you will absolutely open your eyes to those who lead different lives- due to culture, climate, agriculture, history, economy, landscape.
Nothing makes you feel smaller in the best way possible- than literally broadening your horizon to what you had previously unknown. - Troubleshooting
When- yes when*- things don’t go as expected, you’ll be forced to problem solve. How you troubleshoot will be a new means of self discovery. Can’t read a sign? Figure it out. Missed a train? Be flexible. Missed a turn? Discover a new route.
There’s so much more possibility for you to encounter a new version of yourself in these moments. Introverts become conversational, city-slickers become nature lovers, and you’re once again reminded of how your story is only written in the present. - Presents for the Present
Stopping for just a moment- to take in the sights, smells, feelings around you. These are intentional glimpses of time are when the senses come alive, and in those small acts of basking in the ambiance around you, you store the most an immersive experience in your hard drive of life.
Why do I call them presents? When I become overwhelmed with stressors from daily life, I call on these very specific memories (the smell of my first schnitzel, the mist from upper Yosemite falls, the crowded Hong Kong subway) and relive them. It is a present.
Say yes.
Yes to the unexpected.
Yes to the unknown.
Schloss Schonbrunn, Vienna, Austria