Inspiration for the Traveler

I am grateful to be able to travel these days, and appreciate a new way of embracing it. What was taken for granted, becomes a newly inspired gift. These words from John O’Donohue capture it all.

Every time you leave home,
Another road takes you
Into a world you were never in.
 
New strangers on other paths await.
New places that have never seen you
Will startle a little at your entry.
Old places that know you well
Will pretend nothing
Changed since your last visit.
 
When you travel, you find yourself
Alone in a different way,
More attentive now
To the self you bring along,
Your more subtle eye watching
You abroad; and how what meets you
Touches that part of the heart
That lies low at home:
 
How you unexpectedly attune
To the timbre in some voice,
Opening in conversation
You want to take in
To where your longing
Has pressed hard enough
Inward, on some unsaid dark,
To create a crystal of insight
You could not have known
You needed
To illuminate
Your way.
 
When you travel,
A new silence
Goes with you,
And if you listen,
You will hear
What your heart would
Love to say.
 
A journey can become a sacred thing:
Make sure, before you go,
To take the time
To bless your going forth,
To free your heart of ballast
So that the compass of your soul
Might direct you toward
The territories of spirit
Where you will discover
More of your hidden life,
And the urgencies
That deserve to claim you.
 
May you travel in an awakened way,
Gathered wisely into your inner ground;
That you may not waste the invitations
Which wait along the way to transform you.
 
May you travel safely, arrive refreshed,
And live your time away to its fullest;
Return home more enriched, and free
To balance the gift of days which call you.
 
~ John O’Donohue ~ 

If travel is in your plans soon, remember it can be a sacred thing… even with the pressure and stress of family expectations during the Holidays.

💐🙏🏼🎈

32 responses to “Inspiration for the Traveler”

  1. Love John O’Donohue. No travel this year except outside my door which can be an adventure in itself. It’s all sacred. Merry Christmas, Val.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you Marlene. Happy Holidays to you 🎄🙏🕊️ Stay home and stay healthy 💖

      Liked by 1 person

  2. 🙏🏼❄️🎄Thanks, Val. Season’s greetings!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Eliza 🎄🙏🕊️

      Like

  3. Lovely verse Val. Travel and adventure can open new perspectives. Enjoy!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you Brad 💐🙏💛

      Liked by 1 person

  4. The excitement built from ‘being new’ in touching change. A travelers gift on touchdown, arrival, expectations mixed with the headiness of the unknown. Great post Val, may your travels have a little of it all 😀❤️🙏🏽🦋🎅🏽🎄🎁⛄️

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you for your insights Mark! I am staying out for a while, but the call is always there for me. 💐🙏💕

      Liked by 1 person

      1. It’s like someone calling you…not a voice but a pull to…somewhere 🤣 Enjoy it when ‘it’ arrives…and wherever ‘it’ is. Merry Christmas dear lady, enjoy this arrival too 😀❤️🙏🏽🎅🏽🎄🎁⛄️

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Thank you dear Mark 🎄🙏🕊️

          Liked by 1 person

  5. Traveling now, so great timing!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you. Have a wonderful time 💐🙏💛

      Like

  6. Wonderful Val. Happy Holidays! 👼🎅🦌🌟🎄

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you Cindy. Happy holidays and upcoming travels. 🎄🕊️🌟

      Like

  7. A lovely post, Val. Beautiful sentiment and the emphasis by John O’Donohue…pure magic. His words are always a balm for my soul and this poem, at just the right time. Thank you, my friend. 🙏🏻💜

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Thank you Carrie. May his words open the calm and presence within. 💐🙏💕

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Indeed. Thank you Karen 💐🙏💕

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you Michele 💐🙏💕

      Like

    1. Indeed. Thank you Derrick.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Alas, those who fail to travel in an awakened way
    Push and shove and waste the invitations
    Which wait along the way to transform them

    They return home as they left . . . none the wiser.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Profound insight Nancy …. May be we should create a travel agency to open up the minds of peeps. That is what the world needs right now. 🥰

      Liked by 1 person

  9. I really enjoyed John O’Donohue’s poem, Val, thank you. Travel is different since the pandemic, but his words and yours are a great inspiration for one of my favorite pastimes as we venture out in the year ahead. Cheers and thanks.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. May we find that space and loving attentiveness that he spoke of …. Keep venturing with curiosity and love 💕

      Liked by 2 people

  10. Happy Christmas 🎄

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Thank you Pratik. Merry Christmas to you 🌟

      Like

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