Why I don’t need to travel anymore

I used to be a travel addict.

After every couple of months in a very far, exotic destination, returning to a boring, “Western country life” was always depressing. I was missing the colors and smells; I was missing the challenge to learn and speak a new language, I was missing being surprised every day by cultural differences, discovering new streets in the city, meeting adventurous and strange people. There was no routine. There was an intense stimulation that I had a hard time to find back home. So after a couple of weeks back home, I was already longing for the next departure.

Then I discovered meditation.

The more I practised, the more my boring “Western country life” became more interesting than I thought. I started to notice the colors and smells; I started to smile to strangers and be more open to the unknown. I realised that there was no routine. I stopped living in the mental image that I made of the world around me, and started to see it as it is. My Western life is not boring any more.
For several years, travelling was a wonderful way to learn, grow, and find my limits. Since then, meditation has taught me to I look inside to know myself better. I don’t need to go to the other side of the world to learn new things either; looking around me gives me enough matter of thoughts.

Travelling was my mindfulness addiction.

It was only being far away that I was able to live in the present moment. I wanted to enjoy any of my time there, because I knew I would have to leave one day. Meditation made me realise that every moment is worthfull, wherever we are. Today, I am a traveller of life.