Each time I travel, I am usually presented with a handful of similar experiences that come with back-packing through an unfamiliar country, embracing another language, meeting new people, and immersing myself as much as possible in the local culture and way-of-life. And each time I experience these circumstances, it is beautifully refreshing to acknowledge how much I have learnt and grown from my previous adventures, as I grow into the more confident and more calm traveller that I aspire to be.
These confident and calming qualities are beautiful attributes to 'carry' when travelling for - what I have found - two glowing reasons... The first being that you will find yourself jumping more easily into conversations and relationships with fellow travellers and locals, who are drawn to this energy you have created. And the second reason being that unexpected and dauntingly unfamiliar situations are approached with faith and, when possible, much love and light, creating a shining-ly positive energy around you.
... Snow filled the streets of Roma, illustrating the magical, festive picture that I had wished for, and it was perfect. Needless to say that with snow comes public transport issues, delays, and cancellations, and when it came time to board the local train from Roma to Napoli, the energy of the crowds quickly shifted from magically festive to intense, anxious, and mad.
Squeezing my way on to the train, I could feel the energy of those around me, which was quite dark and heavy. So I 'bubbled' myself (a technique I will share with you all shortly), put on my music, and looked out the window at the beautiful, snow-covered landscape. Stop-by-stop, the locals left the train until finally there was a spare seat that I made my way to and sat down in.
I had spent the last couple of hours meditating, embracing any thoughts that flowed in and out of my head, listening to beautiful music, and had my eyes locked on the foreign, Italian landscape. I was content. And so I sat in my seat and continued with my routine that had been working so well for me...
Around me, I could feel the anxiety that comes so easily with boredom and impatience and - in this day and age - leads to the incessant checking of the mobile phone, with unnecessary text-ing and making-of calls.
I would often catch the eye of those around me, who I felt were quite intrigued by how blissful and content this foreign girl was, sitting absolutely still with nothing to do but listen to music and look out the window.
And this made me think to myself how lucky I am to carry a pocket full of meditations and an imagination that I am completely comfortable to sit with and create a special space for myself; wherever, whenever.
So relax, sit with your thoughts, learn a meditation, enjoy the journey of your beautiful imagination, and leave people to wonder...
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