The famous poet Rumi was quoted by saying that, “Travel brings power and love back into your life”.
I personally believe those words to be absolutely true. When many of us think of traveling, the word trust isn’t exactly our first thought. Our minds are preoccupied by thoughts of what to pack, who will by come and check our mail and walk the dog, and how soon can we get this show on the road! The beauty of the diversity on this planet allows us so many wonderful opportunities to explore. Traveling offers us diversity. We are given a glimpse of a different way of living, we see vast changes from our day to day environment, and we gain the opportunity to learn more about ourselves. Choosing where to travel and what type of experience we are looking for is a very individual decision. Some families like to pack up the car and head to Disneyland while others want to spend their time on the beach. There are families that pack up the car for a road trip across the county and sleep in a tent under the stars. Every now and then a family has the opportunity to leave the country and spend time in a place with an entirely different culture and language. The fact of the matter is that no matter how, when, or where you travel to, the essence of trust comes into the picture. How many of you know someone that has never traveled outside of their city, state, or country? We can definitely name a few and we ourselves may not have ventured too far from our comfort zone. Obviously there are some roadblocks in our lives that hinder our ability to travel. However, many of us actually put those roadblocks up ourselves because we have a fear of the unknown. Let’s face it, we are creatures of habit! What makes us so comfortable in our daily lives? We enjoy the repetition of our daily routines. Our day to day schedule feels safe and we trust the process.
I personally love to travel because it is an opportunity to understand and love myself more. As a child and young adult I had the amazing opportunity to live and travel overseas. Now as an adult, that lifestyle has been deeply ingrained and I am so grateful for that. My most recent journey is the inspiration for this article. Very recently I returned from the garden island of Kauai. During this trip I began to reflect upon how much I actually trust myself. The most important relationship that we can nurture is the one with ourselves. The island of Kauai is breathtaking. The best way to see the island in all of her glory is on foot. I have been an avid hiker and nature enthusiast for my entire life. However, this trip tested the amount of trust and faith that I have for myself. One of the many hikes I accomplished on this journey was an eight mile hike and the reward was the most magnificent waterfall. This particular hike I used as an opportunity for growth. The terrain was slippery and muddy from the rain. There were many steep inclines and declines over very rugged and rocky terrain. There were six adventurous opportunities to cross over rivers in order to reach the final destination. I admit there were times of absolute fear and doubt and the desire to turn back. I did not surrender to those fears. After all, there were young kids and their parents challenging themselves as well. If they could do it what was holding me back? I chose trust and faith over fear. A great deal of concentration was involved, but I trusted that my legs and sturdy hiking boots would support me. I trusted that I would make the correct steps and decisions along the path. Crossing the rivers were especially challenging for me. I had to trust myself and my hiking partner to navigate the correct series of rocks to jump to. The most challenging river crossing had a rope stretched from one side to the other to assist you over the raging river. The key was not to rely fully on the rope to help you cross over. I had to trust my body and my brain to make the correct steps. The rope was simply there to help provide a little balance.
Do not get me wrong, this type of travel is not for everyone! You do not have to travel far and wide and experience challenging conditions to build trust. The minute you step out of your comfort zone you begin to build that faith. If you are taking a road trip you have to trust your map and GPS to guide you in the correct direction. The car that you are driving needs to be trustworthy. Those of us that choose to travel by air must put our trust in the pilot and crew, having faith that they know what they are doing. Perhaps we choose to take our journey to the ocean and cruise or sail away. We must put our trust in the captain of that ship to navigate the seas, perhaps that captain in you!
There are so many opportunities in life that offer us the occasion to build self-confidence and to trust ourselves. In my opinion traveling is one of the most rewarding and fun ways to do just that. When you open up yourself to see the world or even just a different city or landscape, the relationship you have with yourself will grow exponentially. Trust in the process. Trust in the journey. And last but never least; do not ever let your fears hold you back from living life to its fullest.