Exploring
"Traveler, there is no road; you make your own path as you walk." - Antonio Machado
(My map of adventures had and hopefully, adventures to come.)
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This week marks one full year in lockdown in California. I remember the day, March 16, 2020. I was starting my first day at Atlassian remotely (my laptop was shipped to my Nob Hill apartment and I spent the better part of the morning setting it up with IT over a Zoom). That was also the first day we got notice that the state was sheltering in place for two weeks to slow down transmission rates for COVID. Alas, that ban has stayed in effect for 365 days! On the eve of this one year mark, I am dreaming and reminiscing about traveling.
There is research to support that traveling may foster more creativity and a stronger sense of self as shown by personality changes. Traveling makes me a braver, more open-minded person. While I am quite shy when first meeting people, when I am traveling, I don’t think twice when striking up conversations with strangers in hostels and trains, sometimes making fast friends for the road. I think it comes from the natural bond between two people who are experiencing something new together. Trust develops quickly when you realize you are both dependent on each other in this foreign land, or that your experience could be enhanced by doing things together (Reminiscent of Christopher McCandless writing that ‘Happiness is only real when shared.”)
Other studies have examined how exposure to new stimuli can improve brain neuroplasticity, which is process of the brain forming new neuron networks through growth or reorganization. As much routine provide us the ability to form good habits, it can also rob us of heightened awareness and engagement with the world around us. Traveling is the antithesis to routine; when I am traveling, I am more awake. When on the road, everyday activities, like grabbing a cappuccino from a local coffee shop or going on a walk, become an adventure. Being in a new city requires more problem solving in real time. Adrenaline kicks in and you become more keenly aware of your gut reads and judgments about a situation. I can feel my mind becoming more alert of my surroundings. I catch myself paying attention to the small details — the shape of a tree, the design of a building, the way someone walks, the sounds of the city.
So, in the words of Francis Mallmann, “Get out of your chair, sofa or office and go out.”