I saw the title of this article and had to click on it. I found that it is basically getting into your surroundings and becoming a part of them.

It’s pretty much how I travel and have for a long time. Nothing new for me but apparently it is for many and it’s not easy. Perhaps you can take something away from it.

I have posted before that I will drive an entire trip without music or podcasts on. Hours at a time for days. Even though I travel solo I have gone on many long trips in “quietness” and just absorb what’s going on around me and think about things and life. Admittedly, part of the issue is also my truck stereo sucks.

However, I have tried walking around with headphones/AirPods in a few different scenarios. I see many people every day doing it but I can’t make the jump. I never have in a city as I want to hear if I’m about to be molested in some fashion. But, I tried once or twice while hiking and I didn’t get anything out of basically ignoring the “why” of why I hike.

Honestly it’s really not enjoyable to me to listen to even some of my music that I really think fits into where I am. Much of what music I like has an ambient feel (I do love my metal, too 🤘🏼) but I want the sights, the sounds, the smells…everything that’s happening around me at that moment of where I am.

If I want the other noise I’ll turn on the TV and stay home or go to a store, and I’ll listen to my music on the way to and from a hike. (Granted, listening to Pink Floyd for a short time while hiking in Theodore Roosevelt National Park South Unit was pretty cool.)

But it’d be even cooler to hear that rattlesnake before he bites my ass, or hear the snorts and stomps of a buffalo herd before I’m stuck on the bottom of their shoes.

In the article they mention these things called silent retreats. FFS…really? People get paid for letting other people wander around their property after confiscating their cellphones? 🤦🏼‍♂️ I need to open a business like that.

I think it is also important to get some of that into your everyday routine. What is going on in the world that it has gotten to this point? We can be contacted 24/7/365 (366 this year), yet we are not in contact with ourselves. I can go hours without being on my phone and I can do it for free. It’s easy to find a quiet place/time to walk or, just sitting on a bench watching a sunrise sipping a nice espresso. Or perhaps a sunset with a glass of wine. How about both?

I know our devices are a bit of a conundrum since they are multi-purpose tools – not only for communication, but also GPS & camera among other uses. We cannot easily just leave them behind on a vacation. But, that’s not to say you can’t use willpower and use it for a picture then back in your pocket it goes. If you go somewhere go for you as a person and not as anything else. You might be surprised at what you get out of it.

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That’s it for now. Until next time…

Shawn