I’ve been thinking what a change it is for me that travel doesn’t excite me so much anymore. When I was a teenager, before I had ever set foot in an airport, I was already dreaming of hopping on a plane and visiting Africa as a missionary. Then as a young adult, I was happiest when I had a trip planned in the near future. The thrill of planning and then experiencing travel made life worthwhile. I would look forward to packing my bags and leaving town.
The other day, Wendell and I went out to lunch at one of our favorite restaurants. It was chilly out, so I asked to be seated in the room where we could see the fire. The hostess reminded me that it wasn’t a real fire but a computer generated one projected on the wall. It gave out no warmth, but I still appreciated the comforting image. We were alone in the room until two other couples were shown a table right next to the fire, which they mostly ignored. It wasn’t difficult for me to eavesdrop when the couples began sharing the details of their recent adventures. They spoke of places they had traveled to and I noted these included a few of my favorite haunts: the Himalayas and London bookstores.
Listening to them, I was a bit taken aback: I wasn’t experiencing the yearning to travel that I used to feel when hearing about other people’s trips. While I couldn’t not listen, wanting to hear what they had experienced, I found my ears perked up especially when they talked about the hard parts of travel, perhaps because this helped justify my own lack of desire to travel. I still find it strange that listening to them, I no longer felt the desire to travel to distant places. I kept flashing on how much work I’d have to be willing to extend to make a trip happen.
I felt a bit sad for the adventurous woman I pictured myself as. It felt as if I was letting go of a fairly significant desire. I reminded myself that giving up the desire to travel could be a reminder that change is a constant.
A few days later, while scrutinizing the Tai Chi Chih website, I noticed that in April next year there is an intensive in Colorado Springs led by a trainer that I’ve worked with before. I knew that I could learn from her. Feeling the old inner yearning bubble up, I found myself looking to see if there was a non-stop flight. There was. Excitement swept over me as I contemplated seeing all my new Tai Chi Chih friends. I got even more excited when I remembered that I have a son who lives three hours away from Colorado Springs. Then I thought of my two Colorado sisters! We could have a family reunion.
This wasn’t the same wanderlust as in years past when I wanted to travel overseas and experience exotic things. But my body felt alive as I thought of boarding a plane once again. This particular travel yearning was related to connecting with loved ones and other practitioners of Tai Chi Chih. I’m grateful that I may get to experience this new type of travel. At the very least, I will feel the anticipation and desire between now and April. It may help me make it through the cold Iowa winter!
IMAGE: Greece 2009. I still had the desire to travel!
