Here is a beautiful poem that was sent to me by my mom. It really captures the essence of why I travel and what travel can give back to the traveler. Enjoy!
Every time you leave home,
Another road takes you
Into a world you were never in.
New strangers on other paths await.
New places that have never seen you
Will startle a little at your entry.
Old places that know you well
Will pretend nothing
Changed since your last visit.
When you travel, you find yourself
Alone in a different way,
More attentive now
To the self you bring along,
Your more subtle eye watching
You abroad; and how what meets you
Touches that part of the heart
That lies low at home:
How you unexpectedly attune
To the timbre in some voice,
Opening in conversation
You want to take in
To where your longing
Has pressed hard enough
Inward, on some unsaid dark,
To create a crystal of insight
You could not have known
You needed
To illuminate
Your way.
When you travel,
A new silence
Goes with you,
And if you listen,
You will hear
What your heart would
Love to say.
A journey can become a sacred thing:
Make sure, before you go,
To take the time
To bless your going forth,
To free your heart of ballast
So that the compass of your soul
Might direct you toward
The territories of spirit
Where you will discover
More of your hidden life,
And the urgencies
That deserve to claim you.
May you travel in an awakened way,
Gathered wisely into your inner ground;
That you may not waste the invitations
Which wait along the way to transform you.
May you travel safely, arrive refreshed,
And live your time away to its fullest;
Return home more enriched, and free
To balance the gift of days which call you.
Bamboo forest, Hana, MauiIf you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Thank-you Dearest Zachary,
You are such a blessed spirit.
All My love,
Mom
I am not too polished with Ancient Greek, but this blog seems to be that metamorphic shelf, Zach! To go further, I think to replace metamorphosis with just simple ‘morphosis.” Stage-to-stage, I love seeing your travels in mind and heart manifest as these beautiful pictures and honest words. You are a master of dreams in your (a)wak(en)ing travels.
You do not disappoint those that seek balance in life, for all the trees you’ve climbed, pools you’ve swam in, you do not fail to remind us of the world that is no one’s property, but every one’s treasure through this blog!
Keep Making Waves,
Isaac
To the wild adventurer,
I love your itinerary and the positive energy you are exuding. You have such a delightful way of expressing yourself, I almost feel like I am with you. It reminds me when I was slightly younger than you and exploring on my own in the West Indies. That was a fine time of my life. I really savored the majesty of the environment. I would like to explore Maui with you–perhaps we can do so on our next trip. And then we can check out Belize and see how that compares . . . Anyway, I am enjoying your vigor and enthusiasm that you are packing into each day, and your keen attunement to your surroundings. Your relationships are so rich and healthy as you embrace life with passion. Your mom and I saw Into the Wild yesterday. We actually were able to get all the electronics to work, although we couldn’t figure out how to skip the endless previews. In it a young man leaves home to experience life as fully as possible. On the way, he meets such a variety of people and is able to join authentically with each of them, while holding true to his vision and boundaries. That reminds me of you.
Much love
Dad