I’m not OCD or at least I don’t think so. But there are times when a good list can help. This is one of those times.
This 74 year old is going on a Far-East Odyssey to Sri Lanka and then on to Hanoi, Vietnam. My niece Jenny and her family recently relocated to Sri Lanka and I’m taking advantage of this family connection to visit.
If you’re like me, you may not be clear about the location of Sri Lanka. It’s an island Country. It’s beyond the Mediterranean Sea, beyond the Middle East and sits on the point of India nearly on the equator. It’s halfway around the world from Washington, DC.
With my list in hand, I’m getting organized. Clothing folded. Shoes and sandals. Check. Electronics categorized and art supplies readied. Check again. Do I have too much…not enough? What’s missing? It’s the usual self-doubt I get before a new adventure.
And then taking a break, I begin thinking.…
Why do I welcome adventures? Often people who read my Blog ask me this question. I wonder why...
Since retiring, there’s been Peace Corps service...twice, teaching English in Mexico and lots of travel in Europe, the Balkans, Alaska, Japan as well as numerous trips to visit my grand-kids and their wonderful parents.
Indeed, I've developed a proclivity for adventure.
It’s not always been like that. I come from an ordinary American family. My parents lived in the same community all their lives. But we children moved away from coast to coast and in-between.
We have our love for one another as well as our dysfunctions. And for me early on, life threw a big challenge.
Indeed, I've developed a proclivity for adventure.
It’s not always been like that. I come from an ordinary American family. My parents lived in the same community all their lives. But we children moved away from coast to coast and in-between.
We have our love for one another as well as our dysfunctions. And for me early on, life threw a big challenge.
As an 11 year old, I struggled with a dislocated hip that needed to be pinned back into place. Healing took a long time. It required three years on crutches just as I was entering Junior High.
Yikes. No fun. In a way, I felt like a cripple and I was.
Yikes. No fun. In a way, I felt like a cripple and I was.
Even when I got fixed, the negative self-image lingered. Like a lot of kids, if not many, I stumbled through teen years.
Of course, what you face as a teen is not necessarily what you can become. Out of feeling broken, I developed empathy for the marginalized in society.
No wonder, I joined the War on Poverty and served in the barrios of El Paso Texas. I found meaning and purpose.
I was drawn to Seminary during a time for social change. I read Liberation Theology, learned about the biblical roots for the “Social Gospel” and discovered Saul Alinsky as my hero for community organizing.
Seminary in the 60s was a place for free and challenging thinking. I was growing and beginning to find myself.
Along the way, I picked up self-help books because I didn’t want to get stuck.
A book entitled, The Artist Way, was most valuable. It provided a structure of “Morning Pages” to dialogue with myself. It encouraged wholeness, creativity and spirituality in all aspects of living.
Each morning I wrote 3 pages of free association - whatever came to mind. Soon I was discovering hidden facets of my personality. I was coming out to my strengths and dealing with weaknesses.
I discovered a very active self-critic – an internal voice that’s quite good at limiting life.
The critic says, “NO, NO! You’ve never done that before. You’re not capable. You’ll probably fail” and so forth. I was accumulating a lot of hesitancy and regret.
But slowly I managed to quiet the negativity. I overcame fears and discovered the wonders of stepping "outside the box" - a cliche for sure, but not without its truth.
Taming the critic meant saying, “YES, this is going to be an adventure. I don’t know what will happen, but it’ll be an experience not to miss.” I found myself becoming less “risk averse” and more empowered.
A dear friend introduced me to Mind Mapping as a tool for more self discovery. I used it to clarify "what I really wanted" in living. Now I'll turn to it when I'm feeling stuck and want to move on.
You might want to give it a try.
Learn more about Mind Mapping here.
You might want to give it a try.
Learn more about Mind Mapping here.
So here I am again. I'm on a plane and this time to Sri Lanka. I’ve been on row 31F for a night and half-a-day. It’s a long long trip.
Out the window, dawn is breaking over Dubai complete with a morning star. Beautiful.
I begin imaging...
Opportunities for meeting locals, discovering the culture of a new country and welcoming the adventures of each new day. All of this and more awaits me.
I smile to myself. This 74 year old is doing it and I've got a pretty good list to show for it....
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