SO I am back from a much needed break. It was something I had planned for quite some time and I was really looking forward to it. I don't I need to stress the fact that as much as we need to take things seriously, we also need to take our breaks with equal passion!
Hard work and dedication is fine but it blunts our ability to feel and admire the beauty of our lives. I have always been a believer of stopping to smell the flowers and I give it the same (actually sometimes more) importance as I would give staying on the path you have determined for yourself.
There are times when we feel “lost” even when we know that we are on track and on schedule in terms of achieving our goals and aspirations in life. No matter how much we try to correct it, something just doesn't feel right and we desperately make the effort to correct it. When this happens, I have always found it of importance to stop and retrace my path.
Some days, I feel the need to just disengage and go away to some place unfamiliar so that I can “start over.” This happens pretty regularly, like every three to four months and I feel the need to go away to some far off places I have never been.
When I am stricken with fernweh, I really need to go somewhere I have never been. When that is not possible I revisit places I love and find something there that I have never noticed before. It's my way of rediscovering myself and keeping myself sane amidst the craziness of our world. It is my way of screaming out all pent up frustrations and ill-feelings that I need to get rid of to stay positive.
We all need this don't you think? We need to know when we really need a break and commit to it because it is an integral part of keeping ourselves afloat in the sea of life. We all need vacations from our lives, get lost somewhere and just live. I have found that wandering off to a new place has been both a needed respite and a unique way of learning new things for me. Sure travels cost money but there is always a way around it if you want it bad enough.
Coming back from my most recent one has taught me that sometimes traveling doesn't always mean touring, sometimes it means just living in the now and accepting things the way they are and learning more how other people live their lives.
In this recent trip I realized that no matter how languages and customs can be different between cultures, the underbelly of humanity is the same--the need to connect and to share parts of our lives with others so that we can make sense of ours and hopefully make a difference in theirs.
Happy Sunday Everyone! :)