Returning Home From A Trip
Unconventional Spiritual Practice #2
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Hello to you, my fellow soul minimalists.
It’s time for another unconventional spiritual practice, those things we do that seem mostly regular but actually can be spiritual if we do them with an awareness of the Divine. Part of being a soul minimalist, for me, is to become more and more aware of Divine Light in everything I do, not just the “religious things.”
What does returning home from a trip have to do with being a soul minimalist?
I suppose it depends on who you are, but for me, traveling has a way of both pushing me into the depths (with reflection, perspective, inspiration) and keeping me in the shallows (distracted, groundless, scattered).
Last weekend we traveled to Wilmington to attend a family wedding. It was lovely in all the ways weddings can be, inspiring in all the ways travel can be, and also disruptive in all the ways both can be.
The Depths
It doesn’t necessarily matter the purpose of the trip, be it a vacation, a work trip, or a personal retreat: there is something that happens when you leave your own zip code that doesn’t happen as easily when you stay home.
You leave behind the details of your own schedule.
You may witness the locals moving about their own daily routines.
You eat new or different foods, see new scenes, experience different weather patterns.
Even if you only travel to the next county or a neighboring town, and even if you’re only gone for the day, leaving your typical space and entering someplace new always offers the potential for seeing your own life from a slightly different perspective.
The Shallows
There are the good things about travel and then there is the rest like the details and drudgery of driving, wait times, delays, and cancellations. There’s the lack of a dependable schedule, sleep routine, or predictable meal plan. And, depending on your personality and life experience, there is the general I-can’t-place-it-but-just-feel-anxious kind of feeling that sometimes accompanies leaving home.
I’m sure we can all agree there are gifts and burdens to traveling, however far and for whatever reason. Mostly, the deep work that happens when I’m gone continues to work itself in me when I return. But re-entry can often feel like a speed bump in the process as, when we come back, we’re hit with all the things we left behind.
I’ve discovered I can help it along by engaging in a few simple practices that can also be spiritual practices if we’re paying attention.