“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few.”
Zen master Shunryu Suzuki
Hello travelers! After beginning this blog in the fall of 2020, a longtime dream of mine, life got crazy. The pandemic reared it’s ugly head again and some things in my life out in the world went a little upside down. I spent way more time away than I had planned but am now returning to continue this journey with all of you. My hope is that this blog can be a way to explore how travel and adventure in and of itself can be healing and promote tremendous personal growth.
Traveling no matter how far can turn some things that are routine, everyday, and at times mundane into magical experiences. Learning a new appreciation for something in your life can be a very valuable lesson when traveling. Being in a new place or being with new people can create a “beginners mind” that is a valuable tool for both healing and perspective taking. A beginner’s mind is just what it sounds like a mind at the beginning of learning something. It is open, eager, and curious. A beginner’s mind is free of biases and preconceptions. It allows the individual to experience things in new ways despite any previous experiences.
One wonderful experience that I had with this was while traveling in upstate New York. I was attending a week long training in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. The students were from all over the world. Our instructors were wonderful and people had traveled far to benefit from their teachings. During the first portion of the course, we were in silence. We couldn’t communicate with each other despite being in one another’s presence for 3 days. Something about that makes you feel closer and more comfortable with people when you do get to communicate.
On the evening of the third day, our last day of silence, it snowed. And if you have ever been to upstate New York you know that the area is known for it’s snowing. Sometimes in a matter of hours there can be feet of snow. Luckily, this wasn’t one of those snows. It was however one of the first snows of the season. Just enough to cover everything in a blanket of white and glaze trees with a sheen of ice.
At breakfast we not only broke our evening fast but also the silence. We got to learn more about where everyone was from and what they did. After breakfast we had a little free time before our courses started for the day. One woman, a psychologist from Puerto Rico, had never in her whole life seen snow before. She was in her late 50’s and had never once seen a snow flake. She was so elated that it had snowed that she exclaimed her excitement at breakfast and shared her plan to go take photos and make a snow angel! I grew up in Iowa and have lived in Western New York off and on about 6 years of my life. Snow generally doesn’t thrill me. But through being open to that beginners mind shared by the woman from Puerto Rico I experienced true joy walking through the snow that morning.
Hearing the crunch of the snow under my feet, feeling the crisp air on my face, and seeing the sunlight dance off of the encased tree branches brought a warm smile to my face. I felt like a 5 year old out for recess looking for a place to build a snow fort. I took the picture above while I was out that morning and while to most it may be an ordinary snow picture it still brings me joy to think of the woman and her first snow.
I have found beginner’s mind hiding in many places on my travels from trying foods I have had before in new places, swimming in new beaches, or climbing a new mountain. It doesn’t even have to be a new experience. Even returning to old haunts with a new mind can bring great discoveries and experiences. If you can create your own beginners mind either at home or while you travel, you can open yourself to richer experiences, better relationships, and less anxiety. If you are open to whatever happens or whatever you experience, you no longer have to worry about what happens next.