Wanderlust, Mindfulness, & Road Trips
"Not all those who wander are lost." - J. R. R. Tolkien I’ve always liked the word wanderlust. It brings to mind the idea of moving from place to place without the need to know where you’re headed. There’s an aimlessness to this type of wandering that comes with not having a schedule or plan; kind of like me on a Sunday morning. Wanderlust means the acceptance of not needing to control everything, a curiosity about what comes up and a willingness to go with the flow.Meditation is like this for me. I sit my butt down on my cushions and I'm open to whatever happens. Bring it.Travel is like this for me. I like to let travel unfold. This sometimes means I don’t end up doing everything I want but that’s always better than the alternative of packing my schedule so full I can’t breathe. I leave space for delays. I schedule free time for a spontaneous donut break. I make time for doing nothing. In the end, I always get exactly what I need; the things that are true priorities happen and everything else is a surprise. Who doesn't like surprises?!
Except for clown surprises, no one likes a clown surprise.
(Or any clown encounter for that matter. )I love to travel to new places because it challenges me; I get outside my comfort zone and learn something new about myself. I got back from my first solo road trip this week and I can now say with certainty that I am an expert navigator. No one was there to say otherwise so my opinion stands. I also learned that I can boost a dead car battery with a friend's help if need be, but that's a story for another day.Travel is about self-exploration, not simply geographical exploration. You could say travel and meditation are the same things.
Lust
Wanderlust means a desire to wander, to get lost, to be ok with being afraid. It's good to go into the unknown sometimes even if that means driving through BC forest fires (see photo above). Driving is the perfect time to practice mindfulness, a type of meditation and a way of living in its own right.Speaking of mindfulness, last month I spent a Friday night with a good friend as part of her Work-Life Recharge #53in17 Project. If you remember from my last newsletter the first video we filmed together was on meditation. In our second video, I give tips on how to use mindfulness in your daily life. Pro tip: driving and mindfulness go hand in hand.You can watch the video here:
Wine, Chocolate,....and Mindfulness
Here's to wandering,Kim