Today, with so much time on my hands and with my trip feeling it is changing into a new phase, I had a bit of a haunting question pop up. After traveling like this for three and a half months, how will I ever fit back into my old life and existence?
New friends every day, new foods, the smells and sounds and sights are very different each day and I feel like I’m walking through a National Geographic special some days. After only two nights at the Hotel Bimi Palapa, the staff came out laughing and telling me good bye when I left. I don’t have any staff at home!
Walking down the streets here, whether in Malaysia or Indonesia, I’m often met by rather stern facial expressions. Today, when I walked to the Cake House for coffee and a roll before leaving, I sat in front for 10 minutes waiting for them to open. I watched expressionless faces meet and make no contact. But when they looked at me and I smiled back, they erupted into a full on bright eye full face smile and a head nod.
In the US, when I smile at strangers, I’m often greeted by ether a downward and away turn of the head or a suspicious look. Here feels better than there on the smile front.
Now, I’m wondering if I’ve been bored and stagnant in Colorado? I’m never tired here no matter how much walking I do or how much traveling I do. Normally, I’m up until 11:00 or later and awake with morning call to prayers around 4:30 a.m. I doze back to sleep a bit after that but normally am up at 6:00 am. That’s very different from my routine at home where I can get 10 hours of sleep and still feel tired.
Am I more engaged in “life” here? Is everything so new there is constantly something new to experience or notice or engage with? I don’t have an answer at this point, only a pondering.
I’m reminded of the old story about the “boiled frog” syndrome. I heard about it years ago when I first started facilitating. It goes like this:
If you put a frog into cold water, place the pan of water on a heat source, and very gradually raise the temperature of the water. The frog will become so comfortable and relaxed by the warm water, it won’t realize the rising temperature will kill it until it is too late. The lethargic from has literally been lulled to death, no energy reserve to fight for life any longer so it dies in the boiling water.
However, if you take a frog and put it into a pan of hot water, it will jump and claw and scratch attempting to get out knowing it’s in danger. No lethargy, no mellow apathetic response, it fights for life.
I’m wondering if my life has taken on some of the “boiled frog” syndrome and certainly plan to be aware of that when I return.
Speaking of boiling, I was in an air conditioned restaurant earlier where I was sweating while the locals around me were wearing long sleeve shirts and jackets or hooded sweat shirts. So difference is one persons experience from another’s. In the past two days, I’ve only seen four other tourist/non-Indonesian travelers. While I was sitting in the AC restaurant near a window, I felt vaguely like a lion in the zoo. People walking by would suddenly notice me, bump their friends on the shoulder, and their pace slowed as they all turned to gawk.
Some days, I feel a little annoyed by the attention. I let that go quickly and find more fun in smiling or waving back.
Now, for that flight….
Oh my friend, you are SO hooked! 😉 The answer is, your life will never again be quite the same. But that’s not a bad thing. In the meantime, stay fully present or you willmiss part of what is happening.
interesting question…I think one thing, are you ready? ha In our everydaylives we tend to fall into a rhythm. We do not have that on “vacation”. Every day is filled with possibles. Each day is actually, but we tend to set aside and overlook day by day.