The general opinion is that travelling to multiple places is all about whizzing around at high speed, packing and unpacking and seeing a little of a lot while planning for the next stage of the journey. I actually believed that to a certain degree myself. Not any more.
Perhaps because I have been reading and writing a lot about mindfulness and its benefits, perhaps because I am getting older and my experience of life is changing, but on this trip to Europe I am constantly being reminded of how the opposite effect is more the reality. Travel brings us more into the moment than being in our normal routine! There we go. A point for debate?
To support my view, in three days in the South of France I have noticed (to name only a few):
- How the trees and vegetation smell different from those in Australia – how nice they smell!
- How the sun is hot but doesn’t burn the same way
- How soft the water is and gentle the environment
- How French people can express warmth and coldness in extreme measures
- How laughter can bring people together no matter the language barrier
- How a broad smile can speak volumes
- How the food here smells so delicious
- How careful you have to be when approaching roundabouts
- How nice it is to sleep peacefully with little on your mind
- How relaxing it is to spend time with friends without the need to rush on
- How the French as a nation celebrate community and celebrate each meal as a ritual
- How easy it is to miss so many things in life as we charge on with our bigger plan
I have been here three days and it feels like three weeks. I have been bombarded with stimuli yet each one has been a meaningful experience. Long live travel as a way of reconnecting with ourselves and with the universe.
