The month of March seems to have moved slowly, but the first two weeks of April have disappeared in a flash. The last two weeks, I have moved with purpose. And when we move with purpose, we forget that life resides in the present moment. Sometimes this is unavoidable. But it is precisely because of the last two weeks that I don’t want to be one who travels the world in a quick way. When you travel quickly, your eyes can only scan. Your time craves to latch onto a purpose, and you don’t get a chance to go deeper. You get a surface view of everything, which can be satisfying in a way, but it is still only superficial. You look at the beauty, but you don’t feel it.
If you travel quickly, you might go to a famous restaurant and taste the food. But you will not stay around long enough to see who frequents the place, or catch the staff with their guard down, or notice the change of atmosphere over the course of the day. When we visit places multiple times, we get to form it into a shape like a sculpture. If we visit somewhere once, we only get a trace of who it is. It remains a block of beautiful marble without a face.
I sit now at one of my favourite cafes, where I’ve been so many times before over the last three years. But today I see it in a different face. There is a different conversation being spoken between the people, the walls and the objects between them. As I wait a little longer, I feel the breeze getting colder, but the sun also moves a little lower and reflects off a window… providing me with a little warmth on my neck. Over time, the wholeness that I create from the fragments that I experience makes a story. One that I can pass on to others, who can be tempted to write their own.
When we take time, we can find out own way through a place rather than walk the pre-set path. When we are simply a tourist, we fall into the trap of looking with glass eyes. We learn what others have learned before and only reflect it back. We stay within the safe zone. It is a little difficult to walk our own path initially, because it starts with the feeling of being a fool. You walk around, and there are so many sights, sounds, smells… you are directionless. You need to have a little patience with yourself first, and let the noise drop away. It only takes a little time and then… something catches your eye.
You get drawn in by something small. How many times I have just gone with the recommendation of others, felt drawn to go somewhere else, but not trusted my instinct. It’s always better when follow your gut, but it takes a little bit of self-acceptance and self-confidence as well. Touristic places tend to have a feeling of pressure – as if there is something you might miss if you don’t follow instructions. But trust me, it’s always worth departing from what others recommend. And even better if you do so slowly.
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