However splendid the views....

Image by ☆Mi☺Λmor☆ via Flickr

The heavy is the root of the light.

The unmoved is the source of all movement.

Thus the Master travels all day

without leaving home.

However splendid the views,

she stays serenely in herself.

Lao-Tzu, Tao de Ching

I am an ambivalent traveler. I get very excited about exploring, trying new foods, experiencing another culture and most of all, if language issues don't preclude it, interacting with the locals. But recently I have found that when I travel I feel unmoored, unable to settle, to deeply focus in the same ways that I do in my familiar surroundings. I feel out of place and unattached. I long for connection, even if it is just with a friendly waiter or a helpful person in a shop. I think that Lao-Tzu has some insight for me here. In the midst of movement I may also remain unmoved. While taking in new sights and experiences I can also attend to my inner being by remaining serenely in myself. And the good news is that I don't have to go back to Africa to practice this. This is first practiced in my times of yoga, prayer and meditation. And then at a crowded grocery store, a hectic department store, or when my kids are picking at each other in the car on the way to school. We will be traveling to Mexico in another 10 days or so. I look forward to practicing the serenity that I know lives within as I move in that world. Another pilgrimage to myself?