So much has changed since then! I love traveling alone these days. It totally relaxes me and there is so much to see and savor. When I can go quiet inside and start observing my surroundings, I start discovering wondrous sights and having great encounters. Whenever I’m with someone else, my focus is partly on them. I can miss out on a lot of what is happening around me.
So what has caused this fundamental change in my perception?
I used to be obsessed with what others thought of me when they saw me alone. I would feel uncomfortably self-conscious. If I had to eat alone in a restaurant, I’d take along a book so that I didn’t have to look at other people, they might look back! Today, I don’t particularly care what other people think of me. If I do make eye contact with someone, I give them a friendly smile. Unless the situation looks potentially dangerous and then I calmly get up and leave.
I used to get caught up in an overwhelming need to share everything I experienced, immediately, with whomever happened to be there to share it with. Now I still often want to share things. I always have a camera and a small notebook on hand. I take pictures, make drawings, jot down stories. Later I decide who I want to share it with. I choose people whom I feel can appreciate my feelings about the event.
Are you able to enjoy traveling alone?
Madeleine Lenagh Coaching & Counseling
Images to accompany this blog
Amazing how you change through the years, isn't it! I suppose most people feel self-conscious when eating out alone, or traveling on their own: you see them communicating with others all the time through their smartphones, but most people don't just sit and look around ...
ReplyDeleteI've also found that it is much easier to make contact with people when you are traveling alone, and so much fun!
My trip this week to Devon illustrates exactly what you are saying. I met so many really interesting people! Doors were opened and my life was enriched. Thank you for your comment and it is so true!
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