Nothing removes the shutters from our eyes like travel. It is by far the most compelling method for broadening our horizons and relativizing what we think is true about the world. Growth is not measured by the miles we walk, but by the lessons we learn on the path we take.

Travel tills the garden of your soul. It unearths new possibilities and ways of thinking. It deepens appreciation for that which we have and a profound thankfulness for that which we no longer have.

One thing I have learned along the way is that it is irrelevant where you are. You can be anywhere in the world as long as you are at home with yourself. Inner peace provides shelter even in the darkest of storms.

At the end of October I embarked with my love on a most amazing journey. For the first time in my life I went to Africa. As I stood in line at passport control, I could feel the country’s rhythm enter my bloodstream, carried by the distinct smell signaling I was somewhere “else”. The odors intensified as we walked the Souks (market alleys) filled with moped exhaust, animal remains and the piercing fierceness of spices and amber. I was transported by the city’s heartbeat, the eagerness of its people, wishing to share what they had with us. I recognized that their persistence stems from a kind of generosity mixed with vested self-interest that we admire, then purchase, their wares. I observed that acknowledgement went further than our money. Showing respect for their craftsmanship — including the snake charmer — contributed to a richer understanding of one another.

The day after we returned, I attended a professional multimedia presentation by a veteran photographer friend of ours, Dieter Glogowski. The topic? On the surface it was about Nepal. Underneath the message was simple. No matter who you are, love is what counts. The images projected a joy that I strive to discover within myself and I have a distinct feeling that I am getting closer to it. Maybe I will find more of it in Nepal, the next on our list of travels.

It doesn’t really matter whether we step beyond the borders of our own country or not. The awakening, once evoked, continues with every step we take.