Some say that the first half of life is spent acquiring things, and the last half is letting them go. That’s generally true I suppose, but it’s different for travelers, who from the start of their journey begin to let things go. Â
One of the unsung benefits of travel is learning how to do this, how not to invest too much of your presence in static physical things.
If you’ve been traveling long enough, you know the deepest meaning of goodbye. As to physical things, you never accumulate more than you wish to carry; since your first day of wandering you’ve been working to pare even that down, give yourself maximum mileage; you’ve learned to reduce all that matters to practicals, minimals, symbols, essences, thoughts, memories, things you can take with you when you go-as you always do, or at least always think of doing.
In your latter travels you physically settle down somewhere, in spirit you still treat time like a traveler, still live like a traveler, eye your surroundings like a traveler, always thinking maybe next month, maybe next year, viewing your possessions with a jaundiced eye, plotting what to do with them at departure: give them to friends who might need or enjoy them, then pass them on; for you know what anchors such things are to passage on the endless river-known only to travelers-that runs through the world and has carried you here, the marvelous river that you’ve never really left, that runs now inside you, calling the boat of your soul.
The traveler journeys through life letting go and going onward, and at death it is the same....
by Robert Brady for Kyoto Journal
A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving. A good artist lets his intuition lead him wherever it wants.
Zen and Ink Journals represents hundreds of hours of writing over the past decade, sometimes from a train in remote China or a coffee shop in Kyoto, a hammock in Costa Rica or a simple cabin on a mountain in Boquete, Panama.Â
Zen and Ink Journals is a simple offering of words in the hope of inspiring others to a simpler, more mindful way of life in these chaotic times. I invite you join me each month on the journey for a glimpse of the larger world, reflections on living more simply and quietly amidst the chaos of our modern world.
Please consider foregoing a cup of coffee each month and becoming a monthly subscriber.
If you would like to support Zen and Ink as a Founding Member or prefer a one-time Donation you may select the Founding Member option and enter any amount you choose. Please know your gift carries a ripple effect in the world and helps sustain the journey.
For more information and ways to connect with me, visit my website at Zen and InkÂ
Zen and Ink was born over a decade ago out of my own personal journey to find peace and tranquility amidst the ever-increasing chaos of our modern world. In the last ten years, the pace of our modern world has only accelerated and we have moved further out of sync with nature and the rhythm of our souls. Zen and Ink offers a quiet space for anyone along their journey seeking more balance and Zen in their daily lives.
Zen and Ink provides an oasis for those who are drawn to a slower and simpler way of life; to provide a portal for awakening, tools and resources that many will find useful in their own quest to find the Zen which is already there and always within and around each of us.
