“He who would travel happily must travel light.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
I hate to admit this, but in our six weeks of travel, in all the places we've stayed, in the packing and unpacking and repacking and doing laundry and searching for something that you find at the bottom of your belongings so you´ve been forced to take everything out...in this ongoing, cyclical process:
We've lost things.
The list of things we've lost is pretty versatile. We've lost hats, other various articles of clothing, a piece of technology or two, a rail pass, hopefully some body fat, and a few pairs of socks. This is definitely an everchanging list.
We're also losing a great deal of pride, as we learn it's ok to ask for directions, it's ok to like a fool and laugh at oneself, that we don't need to always demand our way in life, it's ok and much more fulfilling to be less selfish and more serving towards others, etc. We're losing the illusion of control over things, as we recognize that mistakes will be made, plans won't always turn out the way you expect, and sometimes you are arriving at a train station, with no means to contact your host, praying that the Lord will guide you and them together so you don't end up sleeping in a remote part of the Czech Republic that evening. We are losing our prejudices as we make new friends of different background, cultures, races, perspectives, sexual preference, ideology, religion, languages, etc. We are losing our vanity as we are working on day 49 of wearing practically the same outfit. We are losing the past's hold on us, as time takes us through experiences that shape who we are and the way we see the world, completely aware that we will never be quite who we were before this trip. We may even be losing some relationships, as time, distance, and divergant paths can often cause interaction to fade and people to lose touch.
The list of things we've lost is pretty versatile. We've lost hats, other various articles of clothing, a piece of technology or two, a rail pass, hopefully some body fat, and a few pairs of socks. This is definitely an everchanging list.
We're also losing a great deal of pride, as we learn it's ok to ask for directions, it's ok to like a fool and laugh at oneself, that we don't need to always demand our way in life, it's ok and much more fulfilling to be less selfish and more serving towards others, etc. We're losing the illusion of control over things, as we recognize that mistakes will be made, plans won't always turn out the way you expect, and sometimes you are arriving at a train station, with no means to contact your host, praying that the Lord will guide you and them together so you don't end up sleeping in a remote part of the Czech Republic that evening. We are losing our prejudices as we make new friends of different background, cultures, races, perspectives, sexual preference, ideology, religion, languages, etc. We are losing our vanity as we are working on day 49 of wearing practically the same outfit. We are losing the past's hold on us, as time takes us through experiences that shape who we are and the way we see the world, completely aware that we will never be quite who we were before this trip. We may even be losing some relationships, as time, distance, and divergant paths can often cause interaction to fade and people to lose touch.
But in times such as these, we also gain quite a bit, including a lighter physical load thanks to our forgetfulness of a few belongings. We are gaining muscles of all kinds, from carrying/hiking with/running with our big backpacksto more spiritual/mental muscles from learning how to endure when times are tough and things seem impossible, etc. We are gaining insight into new cultures, cities, perspectives, and ways of life. We are gaining many new friendships whether they be with our gracious hosts or someone we meet on a ferry, in a park, or at a local pub. We are gaining understanding of the way another person lives, believes, interacts, and sees the world, in addition to an understanding of things like foreign public transportation systems, and a few words here and there in various languages. Hopefully we're also gaining a lighter load mentally and spiritually, as we learn that some people really are trustworthy, and that beautiful relationships can develop when we're willing to do what we can and live generously. Hopefully we're gaining a lighter mental/spiritual load as we learn that life really can be fulfilling in the moment and the seemingly mundane, even if a person has no idea what they want to be when they grow up.
"Maybe like a match being lit or the sinking of a ship, letting go gives a better grip..." -David Crowder Band
Maybe sometimes losing things is the only way to really gain. I mentioned previously the concept Jesus mentions of new wine needing new wineskins, instead of being put into old skins. Otherwise the wine spills and is lost, and ruined. Perhaps what we hold onto actually hinders us from moving forward, and it's only when we let go of some things that we can actually be ready to receive the new.
I once heard a bit of information about monkey traps. In tropical countries, in order to capture a monkey, they will put a banana inside some sort of container, with an opening at the top big enough for the monkeys hand to reach inside. The container is obviously anchored to the ground or something to keep it in place. The monkey can easily reach in and grab the banana, but the hole is small enough that the monkey cannot pull his hand back out with the banana still in grip. In order to free his hand, he would have to release the banana, which often the monkey's don't do, therefore making this trap very effective. (So I hear).
"Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it." -Luke 17:33
Spending time focusing on what we've lost distracts us from recognizing what we've just received room to gain. We can only carry and hold onto so much in this world/lifetime, and honestly we spend quite a bit of time holding onto things, (physical, mental, spiritual), that simply don't matter, and weigh us down. Burdens, toxic relationships, regrets, and other various types of junk that sap the joy out of life. Hopefully on our journeys we're losing what need be let go of, and gaining that which is priceless and precious.
"Maybe like a match being lit or the sinking of a ship, letting go gives a better grip..." -David Crowder Band
Maybe sometimes losing things is the only way to really gain. I mentioned previously the concept Jesus mentions of new wine needing new wineskins, instead of being put into old skins. Otherwise the wine spills and is lost, and ruined. Perhaps what we hold onto actually hinders us from moving forward, and it's only when we let go of some things that we can actually be ready to receive the new.
I once heard a bit of information about monkey traps. In tropical countries, in order to capture a monkey, they will put a banana inside some sort of container, with an opening at the top big enough for the monkeys hand to reach inside. The container is obviously anchored to the ground or something to keep it in place. The monkey can easily reach in and grab the banana, but the hole is small enough that the monkey cannot pull his hand back out with the banana still in grip. In order to free his hand, he would have to release the banana, which often the monkey's don't do, therefore making this trap very effective. (So I hear).
"Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it." -Luke 17:33
Spending time focusing on what we've lost distracts us from recognizing what we've just received room to gain. We can only carry and hold onto so much in this world/lifetime, and honestly we spend quite a bit of time holding onto things, (physical, mental, spiritual), that simply don't matter, and weigh us down. Burdens, toxic relationships, regrets, and other various types of junk that sap the joy out of life. Hopefully on our journeys we're losing what need be let go of, and gaining that which is priceless and precious.
I needed to read this today. Thanks for sharing, sweet Stephanie!
ReplyDeleteThat is a good point of view about Losing things. Jesus said it and it´s true. May be it is not all bad that you have lost a couple of things.
ReplyDeleteEverybody goes through that at some point in their lives. You just have to deal with it.
Or sometimes we ca get some help.
Nice blog!
Rob