“East, west, south, or north makes little difference. No matter what your destination, just be sure to make every journey a journey within. If you travel within, you’ll travel the whole wide world and beyond.”
The struggle is real, babies.
Today, not the best day for my quest. Mama gets a sad face. It was just one of those days, where it felt like my patience was being tested over and over, and a sleep-deprived toddler is not the best to add in to that mix. So, sad face for me, but I have to accept that this is a process. I'm used to quitting anything I want to cold turkey and convincing myself that it's "mind over matter". Not in this case.
It wasn't all bad, though. I heard from a friend... no, a soulmate... who has been following this mental journey of mine, and shared some amazing insights of her own over loneliness vs. solitude. I'm still smiling over that email, and if you're reading this, I love you and can't wait to reply in full (we live on different continents now, which is why we email).
It brings me back to the notion of "soulmates", though. Soulmates come in all forms - friends, loves, even pets. The point is, what part of your soul gets reflected back at you when you are with that soulmate, and what do you reflect back to them? With this friend, we had crazy energy that we bounced off each other. I do believe we brought out the best of certain aspects in each other, and I miss her dearly.
It also made me want to say something about the 40 rules... clearly, these are from a religious Sufi point of view, but that's the thing about Sufism - anyone, anywhere can get meaning out of it, out of how it speaks to your own heart. To me, it's the universal language of the soul and connects us all. That's the real beauty of it.
Today's rule breaks down physical barriers, and talks about journeys. The focus is on the journey within. For me, physical journeys are closely interrelated with inner journeys, though. You can journey within just sitting in your living room, but for me every journey to a new place has been a journey within, helping me to discover something new about myself, and always wonderful. Travel has also been the make or break of many a relationship and friendship! How we cope in new environments, with language barriers, map-reading, unfamiliar food and lodging can bring out aspects of your personality never seen before, even by you. You know exactly what I'm talking about! Which is why I will never go camping. Sorry, not for me. It's not about simple living or fear of adventure, I can manage those fine, it's about my relationship with wildlife. I can barely step outside my house right now because I'm greeted with lizard orgies every time (don't ask!).
Travel is wonderful, though. If it weren't for the terrible effects of our carbon footprint (read: astronomical airline prices), we would be running away every chance we get. I find myself getting claustrophobic in one place for too long. Luckily, our whole family seems to have the travel bug, and I can relate with people who save just to travel. It's well worth it. Allow yourself to get lost, to feel the energy of a new place, try the street food (drooooool), try to communicate with just gestures, and boldly go where you have never gone before. I've traveled both alone and with family, and each experience is amazing. Go and explore... and most of all, try and look to yourself, examine what's going on inside. During yoga, after certain poses our teacher will tell us to rest with eyes closed and "scan our bodies", allow yourself to feel new energies and changes. You notice them immediately. So, travel as and when you can, even if it's close to where you live. Doesn't have to be a fancy exotic vacation at all. Wherever and whenever you do travel, scan your soul, and allow yourself to be pleasantly surprised.
"Run to the castle, girls! That's where Ana and Elsa live, we promise!"
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