Hace calor en este pais, geeeeeze. Escalators sweat sounds and spiders. Stray dogs searching for ice cubes and people walking in rhythms to the sound waves in my head(phones). An ocean it is, guiding me through the city’s islands while barely keeping me afloat. Moving around the good airs is exciting, really. This place is starting to feel normal in a good way.
As I ride the subte (subway) multiple times a day here, I think about what it means to be a traveler. Life on the subte is seemingly dull, but beneath the surface it’s a fascinating world with much to explore. People staring glaring laughing chaos sleeping children falling people holding people kissing order thinking talking eating waiting planning dancing people begging sitting standing demanding chaos wishing writing lying buying people sighing giving taking waiting breaking communicating. Eye-contact is an understanding, an accident or an interest-- a form of speaking however vague or faint it may be. Who are you and where are you going I have no ideas and don’t want to judge. Weird and amusing places.
Are we unified by similarities or differences? The key is to fit in and stand out simultaneously.
But is traveling really about seeing the other, taking a peek inside the room next door that’s been locked since you were a child? Are travelers innately drawn toward climbing out of their skin and into the invisible pools above their eyes? It could be a hobby, an activity, a way of life, a metaphoric demonstration of birth and death, coming and going, or maybe a reflection of the innate desire to manifest our curiosity. We must know… because we always hear about it but maybe we actually want to see for ourselves how big the world really is.
Maybe we need a radical change of environment to rattle our senses a bit and spark the thoughts that tell us how fascinating the universe is in each moment. It’s easy to normalize everything now to the point where it takes some truly special or unordinary event to make us realize, think about, question, or even notice the astonishing abstraction of everyday life.
How about finding peace in new and uncomfortable situations? To learn and grow we must put ourselves in uneasy and unfamiliar positions that change our life’s context. When surroundings get too secure, safe, cozy, and agreeable, the ruts in the dirt grow deep and the sky disappears. It is easy to be fearful and avoid discomfort. But when you see yourself in a situation you are not used to, you see your self in truest form. I need to walk through the night, no matter how dark, because it keeps my experience fresh and my imagination fed. Development stems from the decision to escort risk and charm mystery.
And vulnerability is the consequence of living ardently.
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