Somewhere online I read these words, "I travel to address my ignorance." I wish I knew where I had read it and who to attribute the words to because it sure got me thinking. While I am not a fan of the word 'ignorance' I am a fan of learning more about myself and the world around me and I have to agree that the word might fit.
In each of the pictures above I happen to be in circumstances that I believed were beyond my capabilities. I sell myself short often on what I am able to do physically. I have always been an active person but as I have aged and my knees have put limits on what I am capable of I have lost some of the confidence that came easily in my younger years. The waterfall walk in Costa Rica (top left) was hard and had I known how hard I probably wouldn't have signed up. But, I was on an adventure and because of that I didn't want to miss out on anything. I am so glad I did this. The same was true of my recent hike in Italy. In the end, it was the hard that made it such an accomplishment. In New Zealand (bottom left) I didn't have doubts about riding the Otago Rail Trail but sunstroke hit me one day and it took ALL of Bob's constant encouragement and patience to get me through that ride. In the end though, I did something I thought I was not able to. With the kayaking, I believed I could do it (Bob had doubts :) ) and I did. These situations play out differently when I am at home and so it is good that the travelling keeps teaching me these lessons over and over again. I travel to address my ignorance.
Bali taught me a different lesson. Bali taught me that you don't have to have so any things to be happy. The people in Bali may be the happiest people I have met in my travels. Mostly they live with little (relative to my life at home) and yet it doesn't appear affect their lives. When we came home from Bali it was necessary for us to downsize our home and reduce our stuff - somehow it all seemed just a little obscene after witnessing the sheer joy and happiness of the people we met on our journeys around this beautiful place. The kitchen on the left feed a family of 14 (3 generations) on a daily basis. No stainless steel, no natural gas, no tile floors or quartz countertops, no pantry and no custom cabinets and yet, day after day, this kitchen provides for 14. Contentment doesn't come from 'having'. Of course I know this, I've heard it thousands of times but somehow the lesson became real on this trip - I travel to address my ignorance.
On our first trip to Mexico many years ago we stayed in a very nice resort. That very nice resort backed onto an empty lot and in that lot lived a family. Their home consisted of a broken down car with odds and ends of cardboard and plastic set up around it to enclose their space. Our two youngest daughters were with us on this trip and this was the first time they had witnessed real poverty. They couldn't believe someone lived under those conditions. It made our 'holiday' a little less enjoyable knowing we were living out our dreams while the people living in the car could to afford a home. I travel to address my ignorance.
On a barge and bike trip along the Danube we passed through 4 countries (Germany, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia). On a dreary, wet day we rode our bikes through the little town of Vac in Hungary. There was a local market in the small town square so we got off our bikes and walked through the old streets to get there. I have not been in a town that felt so depressed before. Most of the buildings were extremely old and in poor repair. There was just a sadness here that I haven't felt before. The market was small and was for the local people. No one spoke English and to be honest, I felt that we were invading there space/lives. I made eye contact with this woman and gestured to her that I would like to take a picture ( I never photo people without their approval). She gave me a nod and then shifted her eyes away. In that moment I recognized a lifetime of hardship. These people have had generations of hardship and challenges and it is reflected in their town and in their faces. I am always grateful to be a Canadian and in this moment it became clear that I had never, and would never, face the kinds of challenges that these people have faced. I travel to address my ignorance.
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