Some fragmented thoughts on why we travel, spirituality and hospitality, that time I thought I was being poisoned by an elderly Czech lady, and loving the world
As residents of Los Angeles, my husband and I are working our way through exploring the California coast together, whenever we get time off. Once in Santa Barbara we stopped to talk to a man who was playing piano in the downtown area off State Street. He poured his heart into each tune and within the conversations we shared, a stranger we came to look for every time we came to the city. A top tier joy of mine is swapping stories with newfound friends, determined to bear witness to each other, with abandon and little expectation of ever seeing each other again. We become angels in disguise, just what the other needs in moments we can't even realize.
There is something magical about just deciding to go. Years ago, I fell in love with Carl Jung, called the Jung Institute in Switzerland and asked if I could take classes there. They said “yes.” when I got to Zurich, I ditched my suitcase in the train station and got to the institute in time for a big party. I had a delightful conversation with a Swiss student, who eventually asked me where I was staying. I told him I hadn’t quite figured that part out yet. Long story short, he and his housemates let me sleep on their sofa for two weeks until I got my own place. This was just the beginning of the magic of falling in love with Jung and taking a leap of faith to go there.
Jeff, that was simply beautiful. I haven't traveled yet this summer but I do plan to. I'll simply decide to pack get in the car and go head north and end up where I end up. Maybe visit a few friends along the way. Go to the best burger place I have ever eaten and move on from there. Small towns, coastal islands and perhaps even find a new place to plant myself.
As a Member of the Iona Community, I'm headed off to that little speck of island for the annual Community Week. While my part of northwest Texas bakes under its dry 101-103 F temps, Iona will, as usual, be cooler and wetter (highs around 60 F, intermittent showers). And the daily twice-worship in the Abbey will bring such a mixture of emotions--mostly pure gratitude at simply being alive and having the wherewithal and physical capacity to travel.
I went on a big trip around the world this year to Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. I experienced so much beauty, I learned so much about these countries, I am even more in love with trees than before. So many beautiful conversations, and alas, some similarities - anti-migration sentiments are not limited to Europe and the US. I am so grateful of the experiences our beautiful planet had to offer.
"...it’s worth mentioning that “hostility” also shares the same root as “hospitality,” which is to say, we do have some choices to make."
Loved your travel story.
Mine involves paddle boarding recently for the first time (at 67 years old) on the Russian River in Guernville, CA with my two fostered and then adopted grandchildren of my daughter and daughter-in-law (there is more to that and every travel story).
You have a gift for paying attention to the inside of reality — the gifts within the fabric of a place. Last year I volunteered as a guest professor at a Bible college in Cambodia. A former seminary student of mine who works there with her husband has been inviting me for a few years. Now that I’m retired from teaching and deanship, I didn’t have a good reason not to go. As the time neared for the 3 week stint, I questioned the wisdom of what I was doing as a 71-year-old. The experience was one of the most energizing ones of my life, reminding me that adventures “renew your strength like the eagle” (to steal a phrase from the psalmist) no matter your age. I think I did the best teaching of my almost 40 years in the classroom, because I had nothing else to focus on but that a group of 8 MA students in Phnom Penh, all of whom were great delights.
That was beautiful Jeff. That sweet woman who needed money, you and Sara young and trustworthy met a beautiful soul who needed from you as you needed from her! Strawberry tea❣️🙌🏻🔥
For me, yesterday, traveling meant doing something I love but haven’t been able to the past few weeks: bicycle down the ravine path in our city. I have been doing a temporary job that involved a level of bureaucracy that seeped into into and looped dreams, that (dream and work) had the claustrophobic feeling of a Kafka story.
The ravine path is lush now; the silence of bicycling on my own power, and being able to breath after a week of smoke-filled atmosphere was intoxicating. Then I stopped where the river’s shallow water falls over a barricade to create a short falls. There, not 10 feet away from me was a blue heron, stock still in its leaning over the falls, its long beak pointed: intent. Once every 3-4 minutes, a flash and the light would catch the small fish wriggling off the beak tip, and down its gullet it disappeared. I felt as if I had entered a different time zone.
My husband and I have a similar story from when we backpacked through Europe in our early 20s (also before smart phones). We arrived in Dublin during a “bank holiday” (something we had never heard of) assuming we could find a hotel when we arrived. The 3rd hotel we tried looked at us aghast and told us it was a bank holiday. Meaning we were never going to find a place to stay. Leaving the hotel we determined we would need to move on and skip Dublin. But out came an older woman using a cane to chase us down and offer her apartment. We were skeptical but what choice did we have. It was an odd experience to say the least but after 20+ years, Margaret remains one of our fondest memories and someone we will probably never forget. I think with the use of technology in our pockets these unexpected moments become less likely in our travels and it’s a bit sad that we can eliminate the need for human interaction.
As residents of Los Angeles, my husband and I are working our way through exploring the California coast together, whenever we get time off. Once in Santa Barbara we stopped to talk to a man who was playing piano in the downtown area off State Street. He poured his heart into each tune and within the conversations we shared, a stranger we came to look for every time we came to the city. A top tier joy of mine is swapping stories with newfound friends, determined to bear witness to each other, with abandon and little expectation of ever seeing each other again. We become angels in disguise, just what the other needs in moments we can't even realize.
To bear witness to each other with abandon—what a beautiful calling! And that is a gorgeous stretch of coastline.
There is something magical about just deciding to go. Years ago, I fell in love with Carl Jung, called the Jung Institute in Switzerland and asked if I could take classes there. They said “yes.” when I got to Zurich, I ditched my suitcase in the train station and got to the institute in time for a big party. I had a delightful conversation with a Swiss student, who eventually asked me where I was staying. I told him I hadn’t quite figured that part out yet. Long story short, he and his housemates let me sleep on their sofa for two weeks until I got my own place. This was just the beginning of the magic of falling in love with Jung and taking a leap of faith to go there.
Jeff, that was simply beautiful. I haven't traveled yet this summer but I do plan to. I'll simply decide to pack get in the car and go head north and end up where I end up. Maybe visit a few friends along the way. Go to the best burger place I have ever eaten and move on from there. Small towns, coastal islands and perhaps even find a new place to plant myself.
What is the burger place???
As a Member of the Iona Community, I'm headed off to that little speck of island for the annual Community Week. While my part of northwest Texas bakes under its dry 101-103 F temps, Iona will, as usual, be cooler and wetter (highs around 60 F, intermittent showers). And the daily twice-worship in the Abbey will bring such a mixture of emotions--mostly pure gratitude at simply being alive and having the wherewithal and physical capacity to travel.
I have never been to Iona! Would love to hear more about what keeps you going back.
I went on a big trip around the world this year to Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. I experienced so much beauty, I learned so much about these countries, I am even more in love with trees than before. So many beautiful conversations, and alas, some similarities - anti-migration sentiments are not limited to Europe and the US. I am so grateful of the experiences our beautiful planet had to offer.
Yes, many similarities. What were the highlights of the big trip for you? How long were you away?
"...it’s worth mentioning that “hostility” also shares the same root as “hospitality,” which is to say, we do have some choices to make."
Loved your travel story.
Mine involves paddle boarding recently for the first time (at 67 years old) on the Russian River in Guernville, CA with my two fostered and then adopted grandchildren of my daughter and daughter-in-law (there is more to that and every travel story).
You have a gift for paying attention to the inside of reality — the gifts within the fabric of a place. Last year I volunteered as a guest professor at a Bible college in Cambodia. A former seminary student of mine who works there with her husband has been inviting me for a few years. Now that I’m retired from teaching and deanship, I didn’t have a good reason not to go. As the time neared for the 3 week stint, I questioned the wisdom of what I was doing as a 71-year-old. The experience was one of the most energizing ones of my life, reminding me that adventures “renew your strength like the eagle” (to steal a phrase from the psalmist) no matter your age. I think I did the best teaching of my almost 40 years in the classroom, because I had nothing else to focus on but that a group of 8 MA students in Phnom Penh, all of whom were great delights.
That was beautiful Jeff. That sweet woman who needed money, you and Sara young and trustworthy met a beautiful soul who needed from you as you needed from her! Strawberry tea❣️🙌🏻🔥
Thanks for this, Jeff.
For me, yesterday, traveling meant doing something I love but haven’t been able to the past few weeks: bicycle down the ravine path in our city. I have been doing a temporary job that involved a level of bureaucracy that seeped into into and looped dreams, that (dream and work) had the claustrophobic feeling of a Kafka story.
The ravine path is lush now; the silence of bicycling on my own power, and being able to breath after a week of smoke-filled atmosphere was intoxicating. Then I stopped where the river’s shallow water falls over a barricade to create a short falls. There, not 10 feet away from me was a blue heron, stock still in its leaning over the falls, its long beak pointed: intent. Once every 3-4 minutes, a flash and the light would catch the small fish wriggling off the beak tip, and down its gullet it disappeared. I felt as if I had entered a different time zone.
If only we could live more of our lives on Heron Standard Time!
My husband and I have a similar story from when we backpacked through Europe in our early 20s (also before smart phones). We arrived in Dublin during a “bank holiday” (something we had never heard of) assuming we could find a hotel when we arrived. The 3rd hotel we tried looked at us aghast and told us it was a bank holiday. Meaning we were never going to find a place to stay. Leaving the hotel we determined we would need to move on and skip Dublin. But out came an older woman using a cane to chase us down and offer her apartment. We were skeptical but what choice did we have. It was an odd experience to say the least but after 20+ years, Margaret remains one of our fondest memories and someone we will probably never forget. I think with the use of technology in our pockets these unexpected moments become less likely in our travels and it’s a bit sad that we can eliminate the need for human interaction.