Lewis and Clarke had one. Charles Lindberg used his to cross the Atlantic in a plane for the first time. Amelia Earhart had hers for years. Jules Verne definitely had one. That’s why, when I stumbled upon a tiny little book years ago called The Way of the Traveler, I began to take to heart the suggestion that I erect a ‘travel shrine’ in advance of any planned trip. It helps me clarify exactly what each journey is about at a much deeper level than simply “going on vacation.” And besides that, a Travel Shrine brings good journey JUJU!
I consider myself a spiritual person. I grew up sort of a Catholic/Southern Baptist hybrid. (It’s a three- bottle-of-wine story – ask me; bring wine; I’ll talk.) As an adult I inquire into all the major ideologies and with each save what feels right in my bones and dismiss the rest. I find every religion to be fascinating: Buddism, Hunduism, Islam, Earth-based, Christianity.
In college I became very interested in sociology and anthropology and took as many courses as possible. I even briefly considered Sociology as a major for my college degree because I love learning about people and their relationships with other people! But it wasn’t until I entered nursing school as a young adult that I began to put it all together – the idea that everyone, everywhere is made of a composite of five overlapping and interacting components: cultural, sociological, psychological, spiritual, and biological. I think that appreciation is the root of my love of travel. Buying an airplane ticket is one of my favorite things in the world! It’s the magic switch that begins to put into motion all the planning and dreaming that precedes the actual trip. It’s true,“The journey is the destination,” and, oh the anticipation -- like waiting for that scrumptious first bite of a piece chocolate decadence after month and months of dieting!
So, today I share with you my travel shrine. I erected it this afternoon. It will continue to grow over the next few weeks until we leave for Thailand on January 7th. We will be exploring Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia for five fabulous weeks. I’m not certain how much Internet access I’ll have, but I’ll update this blog whenever I can. So, follow along with us if you'd like. The adventure is about to begin…..again!
Norm & Nancy
