Dear friend:
Rick Steves, well-known travel author/guru and president of the amazing Europe Through the Back Door tour company (http://www.ricksteves.com/) believes that travel—particularly traveling beyond the U.S. borders, can help promote world-peace as it encourages a shared vision and greater understanding for how we all live, play and work. I believe travel not only changes how you see things—I believe it can change who you are.
My family and I recently returned from a wonderful trip to Ireland, where we had the privilege of staying with old family friends—and native Irish speakers-- who live on the east coast of the Emerald Isle in Howth, a fishing village outside of Dublin.
We enjoyed lazy cliff walks and farmer’s market trips, visits to feed the seals in the harbor, fresh mackerel, salmon and sea bass for dinner every night, picnics at ancient castles and Druid sites and conversations with some of the warmest, most soulful people I have ever encountered. We also feasted on Guinness and fish/chips in the midieval town of Galway and trolled the west coast, taking in the Cliffs of Moher and lots of walks on the rocky, rugged natural beaches in the Burren region in County Clare. And, of course, we ate endless daily servings of Irish (soda-based) brown bread, locally made jams, and heavenly, sweet, decadent Irish butter. (No doubt, my love affair with the country was enhanced by ten straight days of sunshine and 70-degree weather!)
Like most Americans, after traveling in Europe, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much simpler life seems there. Yes, sadly, Ireland is becoming “Americanized,” but in general, people seem more connected, taking time to enjoy others in simple day-to-day interactions (time out for tea, etc.), treading more lightly on the earth and eating more whole foods. Technology is alive and well, but it doesn’t seem to ‘permeate” their culture like it does ours and there seems to be a strong sense of vitality (everyone is walking and on bikes).
This was particularly noticeable to me, among the 60+ crowd. I also noticed how connected the young and old seemed in Ireland (for example, everyone seemed very focused on the welfare of children and you’d often see people go out of their way to help kids in restaurants and public places—whether they were parents or not). My friends Aine and Diarmuid attributed this largely to the cultural fabric of their country—their history has bound them together.
I know it’s easy to romanticize this experience (and buy into “the grass is always greener” idealism), but I do believe our American culture is overly focused on “doing” (as opposed to “being”) and if we’re not mindful, we may go through our lives as slaves to a never-ending to-do list, rather than living the life we truly desire! I encourage you to challenge “how you live” rather than accepting it at the only way to be and moving through your weeks and months on automatic pilot. To begin this dialogue, you might reflect on the following questions:
- What in your life is most important to you (and are these priorities reflected in your thoughts, days, hours and choices)?
- Do you feel like you’re living a life you’ve created ... or do you feel like you’re a puppet on strings going through the motions?
- How present do you feel to those in your life that you love (you know the difference—think of how easy it is to enjoy your children when you’re on vacation and fully present to them)?
- If your friends were to list three qualities that described how you approached life—what would they say? What would you want them to say?
- How do you want to approach life and interact with others when you’re in your eighties? Is it radically different than how you view life now?
Choose YOUR life. I realized on my trip, how quickly time will pass over the next forty years (read my blog entry on this subject). And, I am committed to focusing my energy and attention moreso on how I want to “be” than what I want to “do” during the second half of my sweet life. (No doubt, this will include eating more Irish brown bread and butter!) I think this is a worthwhile concept for us all to reflect on.
As always, I welcome your insights. And, encourage you all to travel (solo or with your family—to Bastrop State Park or to Budapest) and let a change of scenery open up your eyes to new ways of seeing things.
Tsg go bog I (pronounced toog guh bug ay) “be gentle with yourself” in Irish Gaelic.
Warmly,
Renée
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