“We travel not to escape from ourselves, but to rediscover who we have always been” ~ Jasmine Rice
“Toto, I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore!” Ok, I live in Colorado, but I’m from Kansas so I’m allowed to say that. And today I’m not in Kansas or in Colorado, I’m sitting on the beach in San Pedro, Belize.
Friday as I was walking off the plane, I started feeling a little nagging voice inside that said, “Wait, another trip? You just wrote a blog about creating a life you don’t need to escape from, yet here you are in Belize…are you listening to your own advice?”
I am here with a friend that I was supposed to see over New Years Eve. Our trip got delayed (thus my Savannah trip over New Year’s) and we pushed our beach adventure to February.
Here’s the thing…I’m not here escaping my life, my problems, my troubles or my fears. I am here to re-energize, to reflect, to grow, relax and to have fun. I love to travel, it’s a part of my life now and something I want to incorporate whenever I can.
Knowing that my purpose now for traveling is not to run from life, but to run towards it makes me feel better about going because I know I’m not trying to escape the “realities” of life. Life follows you wherever you go, so you can try to run from your reality, but you can’t hide…it WILL find you.
Making peace with your “everyday reality” is key to enjoying those travels even more so you aren’t dreading your return home. This of course is a process, something that takes a lot of work when you are going through hard times you want to run and escape from, but that moment on your vacation when you realize you aren’t dreading your return home…it is a feeling of such personal growth and accomplishment. When you feel it, I would be surprised if you didn’t pat yourself on the back and say “Good job kid!”
The day before I left Colorado I went back and read my blog “Creating A Life You Don’t Need to Escape From”. I wrote that blog just about a month ago and I realize now, more than even a month ago, that for me it’s not just about creating a life I don’t NEED to escape from…but I’m creating a life I don’t WANT to escape from. I love travel, but I really am beginning to love my life again after wanting to run from it for so long and I’m honestly not dreading my return home at all, I’m looking forward to returning to the life that I’m building.
What does it take to be present and fully absorbed in the life we are living so we don’t feel the WANT to escape the lives that are our “reality”? Jasmine Bilali, holistic life and wellness coach, says it’s as simple as these 3 things:
- We need to have a sense of purpose and meaning that causes us to wake up inspired
- We need the ability to do some things that we love to do
- We need enough challenges to keep us stimulated but not so many that we are constantly stressed out
I don’t know if it’s that simple, I can’t say that I agree that there are only 3 things we “need”, however, I agree these foundations are necessary when working on loving your life.
I will be coming home in a few days and I’m super excited to head back to Colorado’s mountains, my dog, my house and the exciting contract I’m working on with a new client…oh, and my pillow! However, today I’m going to sip this drink, take a dip in the ocean and soak up some of this amazing Belizean Vitamin D.
I’m cutting this blog short today, but I hope you will read my previous blog “Creating a life you don’t need to escape from” as I feel it’s very relevant to how I’m feeling today.
Wherever you are today reading this, I hope you take time to enjoy what is around you!
Remember, You Got This!
Click here to read “Create a life you don’t need to escape from” Part 1 and Part 2.
XOXO~
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I wish I could go on one vacation. But with school, kids, demanding job, and saving for a house, it’s nearly impossible! How many vacations have you been on? From the looks of your Instagram, a lot. If only I was that lucky! You should be thankful you can even go. A bit out of touch here.
I certainly am thankful, and I feel as if I’m not out of touch. 🙂 I live very modestly so I can spend money on traveling because it is important to me. I drive a car that is almost 10 years old so I don’t have a car payment, I make my coffee at home vs drinking Starbucks and I shop at Target for my clothes. I also don’t have children (unfortunately). I feel like it’s about balance and life choices. I spend less in other places so I can save for my travels. I love my life at home but I love what I learn on my travels and believe it helps me appreciate my life at home even more. Thank you for the comment. 🙂
Similar to Jasmine, I travel to grow, not to escape – but that’s not the case for everyone. I think that is why sometimes people confuse “travel” with “escaping life.” There are other ways to escape life besides traveling, so as much as I want to avoid semantics, it’s important to emphasize that Jasmine’s posts were about “creating a life you don’t need to ESCAPE from” and not “creating a life you don’t need a VACATION from.”
In my experience, travel can have multiple purposes. Sometimes I travel to understand new cultures, try new things, or expand my horizons (grow). Other times, I travel to slow down, get close to water again, or to see old friends (relax/recharge). Regardless of the reason however, I can still love my life back home AND yearn for something more that I can’t get at home. That is why traveling and escape don’t have to be one and the same.
To ‘Anon’ – I hope the helps clarify things a bit!
Interesting you say there are other ways to escape Carlos, that is exactly what my blog is about this week! I feel like perhaps I was focusing too much on travel (since that is what I was recently doing). So stay tuned!
Look forward to reading your next post Jasmine 🙂