IAM Thinking about the joy of travelling

"We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves."--Pico Iyer


"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." --Saint Augustine

“Travel does what good novelists also do to the life of everyday, placing it like a picture in a frame or a gem in its setting, so that the intrinsic qualities are made clearer.  Travel does this with the very stuff that everyday life is made of, giving to it the sharp contour of meaning and art.” ~Freya Stark

           Today IAM thinking about travelling and all of the enrichment that travel has brought to my life.  I cannot fully describe the feeling that I get when I travel—it is though I totally embrace a new part of myself that I didn’t know existed.  Whenever I am on vacation, I rediscover my passion for adventure and cultural awareness.  I savor those moments and try to capture them through journaling and turning my memories into a page in my ever-growing scrapbook.  Yet the real magnificence that I capture from an experience abroad exists internally and cannot be matched until I take my next vacation.

 I started travelling at a young age with family trips all over New England, Florida, California, and our annual trip to my grandparents’ timeshare in Aruba.  I was fortunate enough to be brought up by a family who values rich cultural experiences and who encourages me to always pursue my passion.  When I was in high school, I played soccer abroad in Scotland and England and in my junior year of college, I spent some time studying in Australia.  Additionally, I have taken a few trips to Italy to connect with relatives and to pay tribute to my Italian heritage. My trips to Italy have taught me a lot about where I come from and the life that  my grandparents left behind for the promise of "the American Dream".  I have had the pleasure of meeting relatives for the first time whose generosity is unbelievable.  Although I had never met some of these relatives before, the idea that we are family was enough to inspire such unyielding generosity. I felt extremely guilty because I did not have the capability of communicating with some of these relatives, and I vowed to learn some Italian by the next time that I went to Italy. I greatly anticipate my next trip to Italy, which is scheduled for this spring. I have been taking an Italian class since September, and I hope that I am able to keep my promise. The last time that I was in Italy, I got to see an Italian graduation ceremony.  On this trip, I will also have the pleasure of witnessing my first Italian wedding.  Experiences like these cannot be replaced.

 I have taken something from every trip that I have ever taken.  For example, my passion for extreme sports and some of my most significant "outside of my comfort zone" experiences occurred in Australia. To this day, I cannot believe that I went bungee jumping and skydiving in the same day; this insanity was undoubtedly inspired by the energy that I felt while I was in Aussie. I have taken the concept of "Maui time" and slowing down life a little from my experience in Hawaii. I also started following the Green Smoothie Revolution as a result of conversations that I had while I was in Hawaii. I have taken a sense of peace and spirituality from my trip to Israel.  I have never seen such a beautiful celebration of a religion and a people.  No where else have I seen people literally dancing in the street as a form of celebration.  During every trip, I learn something new and significant about myself and although to varying degrees, my view of the world always changes.  Travelling helps me to appreciate the beauty of the seemingly mundane elements of our day to day lives.  

I really love Pico Iyer's essay, Why We Travel because I think that he captures the essence of how I feel about travelling.  The concept of vacation holds the appeal of an escape from reality and a chance to, as Iyer says, lose ourselves.  Yet, as I described earlier, throughout every trip, I always seem to discover or to reawaken a part of myself that I didn't know existed or that I forgot.  In fact, most of the clarity that I have received throughout my life and some of the most major life decisions that I have made have resulted from one of my travel experiences.  

So today IAM thinking about the importance of travel and how the experiences that we have abroad are priceless and thus worth every penny.  I encourage you, my supportive readers, to take advantage of travel opportunities whenever possible.  Don't just sit around and read about places or listen to others' experiences with travel.  Take a drive, get on a plane, a train, a bus...get out there!  The world is a rich and abundant place!


This is what IAM thinking...what about you?!

IAM Thinking about NOT THINKING

"Not to be able to stop thinking is a dreadful affliction, but we don't realize this because almost everyone is suffering from it."~Eckhart Tolle

So while I'm not advocating for shutting your mind off completely, and there are certainly times when thinking is vital (I completely agree with the expression "think before you speak" in most cases), I think that Eckhart Tolle raises an excellent point when he equates our inability to dissociate from our thinking as a sort of disease.  It seems as though so few people are happy living in the present.  In fact, most of us spend half of our time anticipating and worrying about the future or dwelling on and lamenting the past, that we fail to just be in a thinkless state of present moment happiness.  This concept is also explored in Daniel Gilbert's Stumbling on Happiness.  He examines the idea that children and some people who have frontal lobe injuries and lack the ability to fathom the future can be identified as some of the happiest people alive.  IAM thinking that it is really sad that most of us experience our happiest times in the past (as children), or that those people who have suffered some sort of trauma have this ability to be happy because they cannot logistically conceptualize time.  A great majority of our population, on the other hand, uses our minds as weapons that poison our being with negative thoughts and apprehension about a future that hasn't yet happened or punishment for a past that cannot be changed. In his book The Power of Now, Tolle also raises the profound thought that the past doesn't become the past until it is done being the present, and the future too will someday be the present.  Therefore, if you really consider it, we are always living in the now.  (Trippy--I know!)

As a teacher, I often use the phrase "we'll cross that bridge when we get there".  I generally used this term because children/students are curious beings (which again is something that I value--thinking can be a wonderful process), and I use this expression to evade their incessant questions about things that I a) don't have the answer to or b) I'm not in the mood to address at the time.  However, in retrospect, I feel that maybe I am doing them a favor and that I should examine this concept in my own life a little bit more.  If we spend our time worrying about what is to come, we miss what is happening now. 

Of course all of this concepts sound simple, and I don't think that IAM thinking about anything overly original.  Yet, I can't help but feel that the simplest advice always sounds better coming from another person, and maybe we could all use this reminder.

So IAM thinking that we all need to take a break and give our minds a rest every now and then.  We need to just be instead of think and do.  We need to really relax, enjoy, appreciate, and cherish the moment for what it is and not for what it will be or for what it has been. 

It is time that I take my own advice here and practice what I preach.  As usual, I have 50 million more things to add, but I am going to quiet my mind and "veg out" for a bit...I suggest you do the same at different points throughout your day/week/month/year/life.

This is what IAM thinking...what about you?!

(If you don't respond, I will know that you have taken my advice).

IAM Thinking about Rebirth

"Everything in nature is resurrection." ~Voltaire

So as Passover and Easter fall on the same weekend this year, I am thinking about similarities between the two celebrations and how we can apply some of the underlying concepts of these religious observances to our personal lives.  Through this post, I only wish to touch upon the idea of the religious connotation in order to apply the concepts on a more psychological and philosophical level.

In basic terms Passover centers around the idea of redemption which can apply to a need to escape from our own personal limitations and external oppression.  Easter centers on the idea of resurrection and transcending limitations.  I see both of the underlying concepts of these religious holidays as pointing to the idea of rebirth.  Additionally, both holidays come during the spring time, which is typically a period of rebirth and a reprieve from a hard winter.  I am thinking that we can consider this idea of rebirth in our own lives. 

Personally I tend to hibernate during the long New England winters and then when spring comes, I feel a renewed sense of hope and an excitement for what is to come.  I think that we can apply the idea of our own redemption as taken from the concept of Passover and our own resurrection as taken from the concept of Easter as we move into this next quarter of our year and resultingly, our lives.  I feel that everything that has happened in the past can be ammended, and just as the flowers are reborn after a long winter of being dormant, we can also revive our lives and our spirits.  This idea about a personal renaissance during the spring time is empowering.  Think about letting go of past limitations and resurrecting yourself...we have the ability to be whoever we want to be, yet it is easy to forget this idea and sometimes it is easier said than done.  It is ironic how we need tangible markers like New Years Resolutions to revamp areas of our lives or to focus on a long-desired goal.  If you fall under that category, I want to give you the excuse of the Passover/Easter/Spring period of revival and rebirth---make a change, resurrect, let go, seek redemption--however you see fit!

This is what IAM thinking...how about you?!

Note: The concept of religious segregation can be touchy, so at this time, I just want to also include the following quotation by the Dalai Lama, as I feel that when it comes down to it, the segregation shouldn't matter as much as the principles of humanity prevail. All of these ideas will be explored at a later time, but for now please keep this in mind.  "Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate kindness and compassion." ~Dalai Lama

IAM Thinking about Journeys and Adventures

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone."  Neale Donald Walsch 

So today I was thinking about adventures and journeys, and then my dear friend, let's call her JJ to be discreet, reminded me of one of my favorite quotations, and I knew that it was the perfect topic to explore.  I have this very firm belief that you never regret stepping outside of your comfort zone; you only regret NOT doing it.  In fact, I even believe that everyone should make an effort to step outside of their comfort zone whenever possible as I feel that this is where, as Walsch says, life truly begins. Take a minute to think back to all of the significant events in your life and those that you consider most memorable.  I am willing to bet that the anticipation of this event was much scarier than the actual event and that this event, which you now regard as memorable and positive, was once "outside of your comfort zone".  Throughout my own experience, I have observed many people at the beginning of their journeys--my former students as they decide where to attend college; my current students--as they have traveled thousands of miles from their homes to study abroad; friends who have made career changes; couples ready to take on the next phase of their lives--marriage, having children, buying a house.  I admire anyone who steps outside their comfort zone to begin a journey or adventure, and I know that in the end, their decision was the right one as it brought them to some new level of understanding and appreciation.  Furthermore, as we already mentioned, it has become a defining moment in their lives.

People that know me may think that I am enigmatic--and I guess I completely agree with that.  Part of that is because I absolutely love stepping outside of my comfort zone (for the most part--like anyone else, I have my times when I want to feel more comfortable and secure).  Actually, another one of my friends, let's call her Rachel, and I were once told that we do not seem to have comfort zones.  I think that the person who said this to us intended it as an insult, but I actually take her remark as a compliment.  I do things just to test myself--I went bungee jumping and skydiving in the same day; I got my black belt in Muay Tai kickboxing, and I ran a half marathon; I traveled to Israel with 48 strangers who I now consider an extension of my family; I started teaching high school when I was 21 years old; I left a very comfortable and rewarding job for the unknown.   I am not afraid to step outside of my comfort zone, and every single one of those experiences that I have just described define me for the better. 

Mark Twain once said, "Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain".  He is absolutely right.  In my experience, our own fears and uncertainty are the only things that hold us back, and once we start stepping outside of our comfort zone, it becomes contagious.  I don't have a tattoo, but I hear that getting tattooed carries the same kind of effect.  In the spirit of stepping outside of my comfort zone, maybe that will be my next endeavor! 

I could continue this post for hours and get into a lot of work by Joseph Campbell and the concept of The Heroine's Journey by Maureen Murdoch.  I have about a thousand quotations to include and even more books to recommend on this topic.  But for now, I will keep this brief.

I AM THINKING THAT EVERYONE SHOULD STEP OUTSIDE OF THEIR COMFORT ZONES!  just once...see how it feels :)  What do you think?!

IAM Thinking about friendship and relationships

"Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while and leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never the same."

Author: unknown

I have been thinking about interpersonal relationships lately. I have had the pleasure of having some amazing people in my life--both in the form of long term friendships and just some of the people that have come in and out of my life throughout the past 27 years. I can honestly look back on all different phases of life and find people from different walks who have had various levels of impact on me. When I was in Girl Scouts as a child, I learned a very important song with the lyrics, "make new friends, but keep the old; one is silver and the other's gold". I have held onto this belief for a long time. I have some of the same best friends since I was in that very girl Scout Troop. Then I have a collection of amazing people in my life from my high school, college years, and my first few professional jobs respectively. My commencement speaker, Mike O'Malley, said it best when he said, "Try as often as you can to give tribute to your friends, to stay in contact, to be at their momentous occasions. Drive across the country and go into debt to go to their weddings, fly across the country and be with them when their parents pass away.You cannot make any new old friends."

I am thinking about how important it is to nurture positive relationships and to pay tribute to those in our lives who have played this significant role. If you have laughed with them, cried with them, made a fool out of yourself in front of them, they are true friends. If they have supported you, praised you, spoke frankly with you, they are true friends. You don't need to see your friends every day to know that they are there. People are busy; life happens, but there is no reason to hold grudges and be petty. Pick up the phone--call an old friend. Friendship is a two-way street.

I am also thinking about Mythos, a Greek beer's slogan "Strangers are just friends waiting to happen". Put yourself out there to a complete stranger. Don't be closed off--you never know. I have had some of my most profound conversations and subtle friendships on airplanes, in bus stations, at job fairs. People do come and go in our lives and just because you aren't going to have a long-lasting friendship with a person who you just meet doesn't mean you shouldn't try to be friendly. Everyone has a story--you can learn so much from just listening. You also never know---strangers become friends faster than you think.

I am thinking that we should welcome friendship and companionship in every form, and that every relationship teaches us something about ourselves. So next time you can, strike up a conversation with a complete stranger, call an old friend, reconnect with an acquaintance. You never know where it will lead. This is what I'm thinking...what about you?