7.8.20
The thrill of travel is unparalleled.
Complete mindfulness is practically unavoidable while suspended tens of thousands of feet in one huge aircraft hovering above the tops of clouds . You know I still don’t really understand how planes work. I get the gist, fuel and propellers and stuff but to attempt to convince me they aren’t powered by pure magic would be wasting your breath. Sitting in the airport alone, just you and your duffel bag against the world, a computer on your lap, and looking around at everyone around you in absolute sonder is a wild form of meditation. There is something very empowering about that feeling. Sonder is a profound concept…
Noun. sonder (uncountable) (neologism) The profound feeling of realizing that everyone, including strangers passed in the street, has a life as complex as one's own, which they are constantly living despite one's personal lack of awareness of it.
I think about this all the time. It is a humbling thought too, remembering that it is not just you in this universe. It reminds me of how many other souls crave satisfaction and comfort beyond just your own. When you compare that need for the thousands to one, how can you not feel compelled to coexist in pursuit of love? Can you believe the dreaded and feared airport pulled that out of me? I’m telling you man… those terminals are ther-a-pu-tic.
I simply cannot get over the fragility of life. I am in LOVE with it. It is such an incredible privilege to sit where you sit now, to eat what you do, to be human. What a cool space we inhabit, with so much capability and emotion. Being able to curate your entire future, having this control over your path. Yet on the other hand, feelings peg your heart, remorselessly beckoning for you to address them. The balance of control and none at all is one of tender conception. Knowing you have complete control on what you do in these years, yet the emotions that flood your conscious daily are raw, true, and organic. The complexity of this phenomena continues to boggle my mind.
We have about 80-100 years on this Earth, respectively. And kudos to you if you know someone who surpassed 100! They must have a very neat purpose. Regardless, every last day of these 80 to 100 years is spent with the same person guaranteed: yourself. What a gift that is… being assured you will be with yourself, your own mind and body for the rest of your days. If you haven’t yet fallen in love with your character, I would recommend doing so sooner than later, because he or she is going to stick around for a while.
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I am hoping to adequately share my insight and experience from my Floridian hiatus but I must confess I am combatting some heavy eyelids. But my excitement for the new lessons learned this week compels me to muscle through.
I stayed with my friend Kiara in Boca Raton (translates to Rat Mouth fun fact, yay spanish) for the past few days. Her and I became close on our camping trip out west two years ago and have kept in contact ever since. A FABULOUS human being, might I add. She is one of those humans that ignites that immovable grin that just rests on your face, the one that assures you how cool life is without need of much words or explanation. For two mornings in a row we woke up at 5am, applied glitter all around our eyes (great alternative for concealing under eye bags actually. I think I will forgo the skin colored foundation for now), and drove to the beach playing Tame Impala and HOMESHAKE to watch the sun greet the sky ascending from the horizon. I enjoyed every single moment spent with her. We share a passion for seeking truths, knowledge, and understanding. And perhaps these attributes are rooted by nature’s simplistic atmosphere in which our friendship was conceived. It is absolutely wonderful to surround yourself with someone else who realizes the pursuit in life isn’t just about ‘making it big’, but instead finds purpose in the smaller, day-by-day pleasures, like sunrises.
We watched a lot of “Kindness Diaries” episodes which I strongly recommend. Please don’t read that sentence as just another Netflix suggestion… I really want you to look into it. The premise of the entire show is about this man, Leon Logothetis, who began a journey from Alaska to Argentina replying solely on the kindness of humans. He brought absolutely no money with him either. At first, Kiara and I would physically wince witnessing Leon request someone to fill up his gas tank. I feel a little piece of my soul crumble anytime I fill my ‘05 Toyota 4-Runner up all the way, much less fill up a stranger's vehicle as well. But it is mesmerizing to see these people give so freely. The brave and bold traveler also asks strangers if he can stay at their home for the night. It reminds me of Jesus being so hospitable. These strangers love blindly just as Jesus did and it brings me such a great faith in humanity. I truly aspire to be this way.
My brother is really great about this pursuit too. He will always give money to somebody begging on the street. Many (including myself at one point) will dispute and say, “You know they’re just going to buy drugs with it, right?” But Weston would refute simply and say “Who am I to assume if they do? All I know is that I have more than them.” …. Are you kidding me?! Am I related to Dalai Lama or something? So ladies, single, God-fearing man right here, totally up for grabs. Because of Weston’s unprecedented generosity, I now give a few bucks to people like that when I can. I have so much already and there is this societal based push to acquire, to gain, to attain when the acquisition of these materials will not make you any happier at your core.
Episode 6 of this series reflects this ideal perfectly. It was about this Texan couple who were avid missionaries in their lifetime. They moved to Panama to retire and connect with the culture and community (goals i know). They offered Leon a place to stay when he needed one. So plot twist, although Leon endured his travels empty pocketed, back home he actually has a good bit of money. When someone extends grace to him and he is touched by their story, their heart of service, he returns the favor is some sort of monetary deposition. I don’t want to spoil it for you since I know you are going to watch an episode right after this post ;) For the Panamanian couple, he offered to help them with funds in some sort of way but they requested he channel the money to somebody they knew in the community who needed it more. The woman said this is because she already has so much. The camera panned over behind her shoulder to her small shack, which would be seen as near squalor to some. She said she grew up in such a privileged country like America and did not want to live everyday continuing to gain affluence but instead feel the root of life at service and kindness. And the best part about it all is she did too. She wasn’t just an actionless preacher. She preached generosity and she dealt it ten fold.
We are in such a pivotal age of nurturing and betterment. On the near cusp of our twenties, we are solidifying thinking patterns and understanding morality each day. What a cherishable gift that is too. I am so thankful for these little adventures that help me better understand the world around me, because I am sincerely more blown away everytime. Who wants to celebrate life with me?? No time like the present baby.
Oh and uh…. I transferred schools! Go pack!
Kiara & her hoops post-sunrise
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