“There are years that ask questions and years that answer.”- Zora Neale Hurston
2017 gave few answers.
My aunt died after a sudden, unexpected stroke. News I couldn’t bear.
[tweetshare tweet=”I have never felt so abandoned by God.” username=”myadventuresnow”]
Truthfully, all my questions after this devastating loss, “Why,” How,” and “What next?” pushed me to travel solo.
I wish I could tell you a different story about how it all began.
[tweetshare tweet=”My longing for answers lead the way; I convinced myself to be brave, and simply follow.” username=”myadventuresnow”]
For me, answers come through travel. I want to know myself better. And I want to feel closer to my aunt and closer to God.
She is among the most elegant, kind, and adventurous people, giving me grace and unconditional love; she is the reason I push myself to live a richer life, in her memory.
But your Reason doesn’t have to be my Reason.
You don’t need to feel lost, or scared, or abandoned to get on that plane by yourself. You can be grateful or what you have, and still say, “Thank you; more please.”
Maybe reading this, you feel an inkling, a stirring inside that there’s more to know, more to feel, and more to understand in this lifetime – you crave years that answer.
I want answers too. You’re not alone.
Or maybe you don’t have a reason. You don’t need one. Don’t hold back from those dreams, and don’t wait any longer; answers don’t come easily if you don’t actively search.
I know more about myself, what I want and need because I left places I know too well.
Finding my way around foreign destinations, I gained clarity and found myself. Cliché, but too true not to share.
We feel most comfortable, safe with familiarity. So we stay near what we know, and we keep what we know, near.
If I don’t make a conscious effort, I’m guilty of falling into old habits. We all are.
But staying near the familiar, we cannot experience anything new. We can’t get answers sitting on our couch, driving to work, cleaning the house, or walking the dog down the same old roads.
Your routine will get you the same routine questions and the same routine non-answers.
If you have the opportunity to try something different: pack a car, get on the train, and board a plane, do it. If you have time to walk around a lake, a beach, a park you’ve never been, do it. Look up a new restaurant, a new diner, a new coffee shop.
Whatever you need to do, do it.
And if no one has the time, desire, willingness to go with you, go alone.
Waiting for the “right” circumstance or the “right” person is an excuse for not doing anything.
My aunt’s sense of adventure inspires my own.
I spent so much time with her growing up and I noticed how little things made her excited. She noticed details, and she savored every moment – she traveled often, and everywhere she could.
Even now, no longer the kid who held her hand walking through the terrifying E.T. ride at Universal Studios, I still want to be everything like her. I want to honor her legacy as a woman with such a sense of adventure and selfless love.
I booked my trip to Costa Rica, because I had years of questions, and it was time for years answers.
I felt emboldened to take the leap after I traveled to see Chichen Itza, one of the new Seven World Wonders, as a trip to honor my aunt the month after she passed away. I’ll share more about that trip with you later.
Flying through the clouds, high above everything, I looked out my airplane and saw this view.
I showed my sister this photo out my window, and we both agreed: Closer.
This is what Closer looks like: Closer to our own hearts as we left home to explore a new destination; closer to my aunt. And perhaps, closer to God.
When I finished my trip to Chichen Itza I figured if I could do this again, and I can definitely do it alone.
The difference between traveling with company and traveling alone is this: Without a guaranteed buddy to talk to, you get the amazing opportunity to sit with yourself and listen to the whisperings of your heart.
You have the chance to experience that rare quiet.
Sometimes in those moments of quiet breaths, I feel my aunt near me again. Some of this is spiritual, some of it is imagination — feeling her company. Some of it is just my desperate desire to hold onto the pieces my aunt who left a lifetime of fond memories behind. No matter the source, with her in my thoughts, I am never alone.
[tweetshare tweet=”But in most the places you’ll travel, you won’t be alone either.” username=”@myadventuresnow”]If you put the phone down and be present, you’ll notice people love conversation and are eager to share their stories or hear about why you’re visiting this city or this country.
Traveling “solo” is a misguided title.
There will be other travelers, searching for their own answers or their own adventure, too. There will also be kind and generous local people, willing to keep you company and give you a great recommendation on where to go next. And they’re better than any guidebook.
I believe people want to help others.
If you ask someone to share with you their favorite things, they will. And they’ll do it with a smile.
Aren’t you flattered when someone asks for your opinion or your help?
Traveling “solo” never actually meant I was on some deserted island. It only meant I had many more opportunities, and reasons, to look around by my own self and see who has a friendly face and a willing heart to point me in the right direction.
[tweetshare tweet=”I want to share about my travels because I found ways to embrace my self and I hope in my travels you’ll embrace your self too.” username=”myadventuresnow”]
I also want to tell you all about Costa Rica, because I found some answers.
And maybe my answers will help you find yours too.
The adventure continues,
