A view from 30,000 feet… Pondering: I am here now
Friday, September 5, 2014 at 12:02 PM “And God hath spread the earth as a carpet for you, that ye may walk therein through spacious paths.” Quran, LXXI
On a plane from Seattle to San Diego, I look out the window and see small hill-like formations in the ground, rising like blemishes on evergreen skin. Two blue lakes form eyes in this face and a patch of ragged ground outlines the nose. The side of a curving cliff completes the skull’s grin in this palette of earthy green.
I am here now. 30,000 feet above the earth. Neither home nor at my destination. I am in between. My novel draft is complete, but I haven’t received my editor’s comments. Another manuscript on pilgrimage and travel is in the works and I wonder what form it will take. Where might it lead? Each moment has its own choice.
I’ve picked up travel writer, Freya Stark’s book, Perseus in the Wind, and instead of reading it front to back, I’m listening internally for which chapters call my name. Her section, “Travel,” is exquisite. In it, she offers the idea that “the chief thing the traveller carries about with him is himself.” I love this notion. It reminds me of modern day author, Jon Kabat-Zinn’s saying, “Wherever you go, there you are.” So even though I am neither here nor there (i.e. Seattle or San Diego), I have my most essential accessory with me… I have my self and my spectacular sense of curiosity and adventure.
While packing for this trip (one of my least favorite tasks), I wondered what it would look like to travel with only a knapsack and the clothes on my back. To reduce my belongings to less than five pounds. Could I do it? What would I need?
A pen and journal seem essential… or could I record the details of the journey more closely in my mind if I weren’t distracted by transcribing this or that? What if I carried the essence and not the specifics?
The joie de vivre of Paris. The sense of history and belonging from a reunion trip to Oklahoma. Renewed friendship and laughter, childhood memories, and sand between my toes in La Jolla. Vienna’s lyrical feeling and her late afternoon light on white buildings. The thin places of Ireland. Rushing wind and ocean spray. Lack of horizon and rolling sea. A voyage from Sardinia, Italy to Menorca, Spain.
Distant travels are peppered with the essence of home, too. Strolls through my neighborhood. Brown-eyed susans catching late summer light. A neighbor’s trio of dogs yipping and yapping at every passerby. The heron at Green Lake. Mount Rainier majestically appearing out of the clouds. My husband’s slight snore. The cat’s persistent purr.
These memories are transcripts best recorded in the heart and soul. They are more reminders that I am here now. Wherever I go, there I am… memories and all. I have a choice in every moment… practice presence or blast through the history.
Today I will remind myself to choose presence. I will invite myself to walk on the carpet God has spread before me. I will inhale the coffee and cinnamon aromas wafting around me. I will express gratitude for my life wherever I am, and I will remind myself that I am here now.
What will you choose today?
I invite you to spend a few moments reflecting on your own ‘essentials’ and the essences you carry in your knapsack of life.
If you're curious about the idea of intentional travel, consider joining Sharon Richards and me for our next Urban Pilgrimage: Where Soul Greets Soul in Paris, France.
We just opened a brand new set of dates, May 9 - 16, 2015. Experience the joy of being present to yourself in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. We promise, you've never seen Paris (or yourself) like this!!!
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Reader Comments (4)
As I read your entry tonight I think of my friend Susan and the funeral tomorrow where we will gather to remember and honor her. Where is she now? That little urn next to the Paschal candle, a little box in the tool shed, her home full in every corner of what she loved and lived? Where is she now?
Your entry has triggered feelings of sorrow, remembrance and love - good authors often do that for me:) xoxo
What a lovely post, Kayce. You have such a beautiful way with words. Yes, I'm quite taken with Freya Stark, too. Beyond being a curious and courageous woman, her writing, too, is transcendent. I've been meaning to congratulate you on your completed novel and look forward to its release into the world!
Dianna - as always I am grateful for your words. May you find peace and continued love as you wrestle with your feelings of sorrow. xoxoxo
Many thanks, Debra for stopping by and commenting. I continue to see our pathways crossing (yours and mine). Thank you for the congratulations and I'd love to write for Later Bloomers sometime in the near future. Lots of love to you!