#15: The Personal Impacts of Travel

Prompt Number #15: How has travel changed your life? Can you pinpoint a single moment – a day, an hour, a split second – when you knew that things had changed? How did that change impact your life, both on your travels and at home?

Wearing sunglasses in an airport.  No, really – I think everyone should do this at least once.  I’m a fan of internally pretending I’m someone else at airports.  Sunglasses have the power to add a bit of extra ‘oomph’ to helping you walk with a purpose while in transit.

I love that no one knows who anyone else is at the airport.

I could be carrying my banjo because I’m on my way to play on a late night talk show.  You could be traveling to Paris to find yourself.  They could be flying in to surprise a relative on the opening night of their play.  Sure, wandering through the airport aimlessly is an option, but where is the fun in that?

I think travel has a transforming quality because of the lack of consistency.  Our daily lives are (usually) schedule-based.  We eat the same things, do the same job, see the same people & structures.  Our lives retain the same basic skeleton.  I know that with myself, I am really able to thrive on consistency.  But when I am nudged out of the nest, I take deeper breaths.  I stretch more.

If you step outside your boundaries in a way that thrills you, your boundaries will expand to encompass the latest version of you.  If you step outside in a way that isn’t right for you, your boundaries stay strong as a safety net to catch you.

You can even stretch from within your safety net, just like a hammock.  Don’t forget your sunglasses.

2 thoughts on “#15: The Personal Impacts of Travel

  1. You can even stretch from within your safety net, just like a hammock.

    I love this line, it is so perfect.

  2. I LOVE this post. So sensually written, perfectly captures that feeling of expansion while still grounded in a sensitive soul. And all the stories of people, moving around other strangers, other stories, other safety nets.

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