My uncontrollable travel companion

Jim on his way…

As you might have read in the previous blog, Jim will soon be leaving for Scotland. Of course, it’s a great opportunity for him to be able to work at the Glasgow Science Festival in. And this is exactly how we want to go about working worldwide. Go where work takes us.

And if I’m honest, I don’t mind to be on my own from time to time. Once in a while, it is just nice and relaxing to be able to follow my own rhythm, have a bit more freedom to meet up with other people, and watch Dutch programmes for a change.

However, it also means that Jim will be leaving before me, and that I will have to travel alone the coming month. And you might be surprised, but somehow, my mind is kind of worried about this prospect.

I know it sounds weird. Especially since I have travelled on my own since I was 18 years old. It is one of the things I love doing the most: to explore new places, meet new people and get to know other cultures. And I especially like it if there is a possibility to work together with the people I meet, to help them improve something, or share experiences.

Even so, despite all my experience, from the moment I know I will have to travel alone, my mind starts telling me all these stories about what can go wrong. About the planes and busses I will miss, the fact that my luggage will get stolen and that I have made all kind of mistakes with the reservations of hotels and tickets. And she, my mind, strongly advises me not to go, and predicts that all will go wrong, that I might have to sleep on the street, and will lose most of my luggage on the way.

All on my own, in discussion with my uncontrollable travel companion…

Years ago, I would start a discussion with my mind. I would agree that all this can happen, but also argue that our experience (mine and my mind’s experience, since we always travel together) proves her wrong to be so worried. We really have to dig deep in our memory for the day we missed a bus or have been (seriously) robbed. And I reassure her, that most of the times, she is especially very helpful to me in avoiding losing stuff or making mistakes when booking something. But this discussion to calm her down never helped, more often it would be a reason for her to get even louder and warn me of getting sloppy and being less on my guard.

Luckily enough, my mind has never won over my drive and wish to travel. And in all these years, I have come to realise that, wherever I go, she will only shut up once we have safely arrived at our destination. I also learned that there is no way to get her to stop and that it is better to let her get on with her own story. Recognise it, but not get involved, and in some cases even be thankful that she is so careful.

But I also realise she still often wins and holds me back from taking risks and doing the other things I want to do. And that there are still quite a number of scary journeys ahead of me, of trying to do the things my mind says are better to be avoided.

Tagged as: Bolivia, mindfulness, travel, Valued living