Learning to let it flow after travelling the world
I am sitting at the dining room table in our friend’s house soaking in the silence.
Alone.
For the first time in 240 days.
It’s quiet. So quiet. Almost too quiet after months of being surrounded by family, crowing roosters, honking horns, feuding cats or yelling neighbours.
Oh. Canada.
I don’t quite know what to make of it to be honest. It feels a bit like a dream. I sit here a bit flummoxed as I try to process the fact that we are actually back in Canada after an amazing adventure around the world. It was incredible. One I look back at with zero regrets. We pushed ourselves, we explored, we had fun and we, as a family, connected deeper than I would ever possibly hope for.
We were warned that re-entry would be hard and I really did believe I was prepared for it.
What it feels like to be home.
In some ways, it feels really really good. We missed our friends and family. We missed Canada. Our appreciation for mother nature’s magic is far greater than before we left. Our gratitude in the freedom we have to live our lives here unsurmountable. Democracy, rights & freedoms, heath care, clean water, recycling, and our opportunity for choice in so many arenas has rendered us forever thankful for the country we live in.
Does it feel strange?
Yes. Everything is the same, I am the same, and I am different. It feels a bit awkward. Like a 13 year old boy who’s not sure where to put his hands at a dance. I get upset at the wastefulness here. I get frustrated at anyone using #firstworldproblems. I look up often into the sky and gaze at the clouds. I am not sure where to go or what I want but I certainly know what I don’t.
I know I don’t want to go back to being the “busy” person, wearing exhaustion like a badge of honour. I know I don’t want to get sucked back into social media so much that I miss being present, as in really and truly present for my family. I know I don’t want to be caught in the need for stuff, we have zero requirement for anything, in fact I would like to get rid of more.
No. I have zero interest in buying a ticket for that train.
Oh My Aching Heart
My heart hurt a lot on this trip but it also nearly burst dozens of times from sheer joy. My intention has always been towards fostering relationships but now more than ever it’s how I can provide value outwards and into the world. To help contribute to making it a better place in as little or as large of a way I can.
We are all connected. That connection point means that whatever you feed and water on a daily basis has a ripple affect on others in your sphere. My heart aches when I see so many people on social media constantly in a state of complaint, anger or disgust. When did it become the norm to be so negative?
You can choose every day which seeds you will water. Water the negative seeds, and you will watch a plant wither and die. Water the positive seeds and you will see a plant flourish and grow. *
We all have a responsibility to be kinder. THAT is the kind of ripple effect we need to keep creating in ourselves and in our children.
Keep Calm, Let it Go and Flow
So now what? Good question.
The answer is we don’t know yet. In the past, this would have sent me into a massive anxiety attack. But the world showed us that even without any kind of definitive plan that everything will end up working out.
We don’t yet have a home, our village kindly sheltering us as we seek out a place to “settle” for the moment. The desire to put down some roots, (even temporary ones) has gotten hold and now its a matter of simply trust. Spending energy on worrying about what might or might not happen does none of us any good.
So now we let go and let it flow.
And maybe just enjoy the silence.
*This philosophy stems from the writings of Thich Nhat Hanh. A philosopher and monk who does a beautiful job of teaching the importance of being present.
A few domino moments led to making a decision that changed their family’s life. The loss of 2 dear friends and a keen awareness that their kids were falling down a path of first world privilege prompted the Powells to sell their house and head into the world to teach their children the importance of Global Citizenship. Their #Familygoals focused on teaching compassion, community and to always live big.
After 8 months, 6 continents, 21 countries, and travelling with a child with special needs, the Powell’s discovered so much more than simply how much they love to travel. They discovered gratitude in mother nature and joy in each other. Lessons they never realized (until now) were the lessons they needed the most.
