When you romanticize things…

Traveling is often overly romanticized. 

The ideal travel experience often involves sun, adventure, and a fancy cocktail.  

So when things go “wrong” or not the way we’d like, we can quickly make a judgment, saying things like, “this wasn’t supposed to happen.”

I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to travel, and it’s always humbling to be with the inevitable unknown challenges that come along.

These unknowns become my teachers.

In the past weeks, I have been on my continuous book voyage, through NYC, Paris, and, currently, in Nairobi. I’ve managed to almost miss a flight, had my luggage delayed over two days, and now have my flight moved to a different day. And of course it’s been pouring rain everywhere.

I am in transit in Kenya, and will soon be going to my dad’s home country Comoros. Right now I have two pieces of luggage checked in. My recent Air tags purchase inform me that one luggage is still in Paris while the other is here in Nairobi.

I find it amusing how little control I have over anything, but how I love to perceive that I do.

I can try to plan and predict my luggage voyage, but truly have no idea. 

So I tell myself: “Nora, ne te prends pas la tête.” Stop grabbing your head.

That is the literal translation in French. It means stop worrying, getting upset and making things more difficult. 

What I love about being in Africa is this reminder to let go. That things are not always as romantic or glamorous as we’d like them to be, and that there is true beauty and wisdom in this. 

When I feel into it, it can be freeing to lose my luggage, not wonder about social media, and be in the chaos of non-structure. To allow myself to feel my capacity to adapt.

That is you, too. As an n'betweener you are equipped to adapt. Yet you might be minimizing your ability to be with the difficulty.

There is no need to romanticize parts of your life. Instead, welcome the ugly unexpected.

In a capitalistic world, we learn that there is ONE right way of doing things. And that our job is to figure out that “way” and do it as fast as possible.

So in the West, we get caught up in this imaginary race and the idea of how things *should* look. We forget that in reality there are many ways things can happen.

Here are a few invitations:

🌀 Let go of a particular outcome.

🌀 Be surprised by what you might learn when something different happens.

🌀 Challenge yourself to see another perspective.

If you feel like you’ve been stuck in ways of how you should be doing things. Get out. Do something different. Try something new. 

Let yourself enjoy the unexpected rain. It’s refreshing.

Asante 💙💚

Nora