Presently Redefining

Lately, when people have asked me about how my trip is going, I’ve found myself finding it difficult to really describe it. The thing is, to say it’s “going well” doesn’t suffice, and to say it’s “completely wonderful” puts a lace doily on something that is much more complex. So, how is my trip going you ask? Well, in one word, it’s profound; and it’s profound by the definition that it’s requiring great perception.

And I think this is what makes travel so essential. The awareness required when you are thrown (or volunteer yourself, or heck, even pay tuition for the experience rather) into a completely new surrounding is greatly increased. Yesterday I went to the city of Tepotzlan, a beautiful city nestled in the mountains about an hour from Cuernavaca. While I was there, I realized that I was completely in the present. I was feeling the cool breeze on my face, listening to the foreign language around me, smelling the different foods and looking at all the crafts and goods around me. Because everything was so new, I was so aware with my senses. Then, as I rode the bus home with the sun setting behind the mountains, I didn’t sink into a newspaper or listen to my iPod, but rather I opened the window and took in the scene. It was in that moment I realized the amazing things that can surface when you’re in the present, and in contrast, all the things you can miss when you’re sucked into a routine. And I couldn’t help but wonder: when you remove yourself from everything that defines you, what definition remains?