One of the things that’s been greatly changed for me because of my spiritual practice is my experience of traveling. I used to feel so much pressure (the ego) to see and do everything so that I could say that I had seen and done everything. That pressure took the fun out of things. I wasn’t very present to what I was experiencing, because I was often futurizing about it. It’s like going some place and rather than experiencing it, you’re taking pictures the whole time and not really enjoying the moment.
The ego is always keeping score about what validates it. It measures its goodness by what it has done and accomplished, not the Love that’s expressed. When I believed I was lacking, I found everyone else lacking, too. When I felt inadequate then, I was trying to compensate for that by accomplishment.
When I was much younger, I thought it was so important that I see all the main sites of the world. To me, being a world traveller meant that I was a successful person. It meant I was living a good life. Being a world traveller meant that I was living my life well. Now, I’m clear that traveling doesn’t have anything to do with living life well. Being loving is the key to a life well lived.
What’s been interesting is that the more loving I’ve become, the more I’ve travelled. I enjoy traveling, and yet the truth is that most of the time, I’d MUCH rather stay in one place and have hours of retreat, silence, contemplation and quiet without going anywhere, or accomplishing anything the ego would value. So much has changed for me.
I do go through periods where I travel a lot. Right now, I’m on vacation in Greece and what is so nourishing to me is to be able to enjoy the beauty of Mother Earth, the freedom in nature and the creativity of people. I find it healing, inspiring and uplifting as well as deeply nurturing to enjoy the simplicity of the sea, the beauty of the sunset, a flower, and the creativity of a delicious dish, a marvelous expression in architecture. These things feel restorative to my soul because I experience the perfection of Spirit in all of them. I feel the LOVE in life.
I no longer feel the need to see all the “important” sights. It feels more valuable to have a conversation with a sweet soul I meet along the way, to taste a homemade jam, or view the precious and glorious sun as it melts into the embrace of the sea. These are the experiences that restore my soul. These are the gifts of our Creator.
Having shifted into this new approach to travel, life is relaxed, rich and filled with unexpected delights, treasures and pleasures. Isn’t that the way life is? When we release the attachments to what we think we should see and do then the Joy can be revealed in the simplest of moments. That’s real living. That’s living in the flow of Love. I’m so grateful JUST to have the awareness of HOW to live. The sweetness is here now and for this I AM so very grateful!
If you’re finding what I’m sharing to be helpful won’t you please share at facebook and twitter to let others know? Thank you!
