Advertisement
Published: June 16th 2006
Edit Blog Post
Well I am officially back in the US, but not officially "home" yet. I am in New York, staying with my good ol UPS friend Darrel Frost.
I spent my last night in London with a bunch of Englishmen at a bar watching Brazil vs. Croatia in the World Cup. I had one last run in the morning on European soil to Regent's Park in London and then strapped my pack on my back for one of the last times and caught my flight to New York...
It is nice to be back in the states, to understand what people are saying and to be able to read all the signs I see and to have grocery stores that are open past 6 in the evening and don't take siestas, and yesterday while I was strolling around in Central Park I found a public drinking fountain and even got to use the bathroom for FREE!!! New York, in many ways has been a great city to get re-adjusted to the States...there's so much diversity here, it almost still feels like I am in another country.
I am so thankful for the opportunity that I have had for the
past three months to travel and take time to think about life and what is important to me and to enjoy the mind opening that comes along with experiencing different cultures. I don't want to get too over dramatic or anything here, I will save that for my journal, but I would be leaving something important out of this blog if I didn't share that the past three months have helped me to grow in unique ways that I am excited about. My challenge will be to learn how to sustain and continue this pattern of growth as I now return to life in the "real world." I openly admit though that I am a bit nervous about getting back to reality, about not having the stimulation that comes from having new cities to explore every few days. Being in foreign places was awakening, everything was so new and different and my senses were truly heightened. Joy was everywhere-- not only in the famous architecture, art, or natural scenery but in the most subtle day to day things---an old couple walking slowly down a cobblestone street holding hands, a mother playing with her daugther in a Spanish square, a friendly
smile that made me feel at home, while being hundreds away from everything familiar, the many strangers who went out of their way to help a poor lost traveller (which I was very frequently!), I could go on and on.
There was one point in my travels where I became aware of my newfound ability to take in so many simple pleasures and it was at this point that I had a really simple epiphany...I thought, hey there are a lot of these things present in the place where I live as well, as a traveller, however, I was much more aware of the simple things beacuse I was more relaxed, flexible, open-minded and aware. I have always been enchanted with the world outside of my home becuase I have had this idea that people enjoyed life more elsewhere, you know that the grass is greener on the other side. What I now realize however, is that the ability to experience joy is actually a state of mind, it's not necessarily a matter of where you are physically. And while I don't intend to stop traveling as a means of seeking out joy, I now realize that joy can
The best hosts ever!!!
Frank and Sonja in the HAgue be found wherever you are, if you choose to look for it. And as for my thoughts on the results of this experiment in freedom; I am beginning to understand that most of the prison walls we live behind are mental creations and we are only truly free when we decide to be.
Now, don't go thinking I am some Buddha or something, these things mentalities can be much easier written about than actually lived, however, I hope to begin building my future with these new perspectives in mind and hope that when I begin to stumble (as I inevitably will) I will be able to look back on this part of my life, the lessons I have learned and the people I have shared this learning with (not just my travel partners, but my family and friends reading this as well) to continue growing and finding the many joys that life offers when I choose to be open to it.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.323s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 13; qc: 52; dbt: 0.0752s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Ana
non-member comment
Welcome back!
Hey Sarah, I am glad to read you got here in one piece! Thanks for sharing your experiences with all of us! I'm sure these past three months were just amazing! Hope to see you soon. Take care. Ana