When you hear the word travel, what do you think of it? Do you think of all-out extravagant vacations with beaches, tourist guides, and resorts? Or do you think of nature, relaxing and trying new things? Or does travel make you want to pull your hair out and scream at the top of your lungs? Whatever visual comes to mind, traveling is important. It is important for our souls, for our wellness.
It doesn't matter what your definition of travel is. You could travel an hour away, just to get away from the daily grind and this is considered travel. I'm from a tourist town where people come to spend time in a cabin and be around nature. I could book a cabin in my own town and consider it traveling. It's anything that gets you away from the daily to-dos and lets you relax and enjoy the things that you enjoy.
My Idea of Travel that Feeds My Soul
My idea of travel may be different than yours and that's okay! Enjoy whatever you enjoy :) Do what makes you happy, what makes you smile, what makes you present. In order for travel to feed my soul and up my wellness game there has to be some nature involved. Whether it is taking a tour in the wild, walking among the trees, or walking down the beach or a riverwalk. Nature is my passion and it puts me in my happy place. I also enjoy experiencing new things and trying new foods. I'm not a huge fan of flying but I'll do it to get me to a place that will feed my soul.
The Place That Feeds My Soul Now
My current travel experience, where I am writing this post now, is North Carolina. Coming down here has been on my bucket list for a while now. I am a Duke basketball fan and the moment arose where I finally got a chance to go to a game.
We got here late, around 11 pm, Thursday night and all I wanted to do was get to the room, take a shower, and hit the sack. But we were greeted with such kindness. The front desk lady was so kind. She was personable, she asked how our drive was and she even asked us what floor we preferred. What floor did I prefer?! I have never been asked that before so I didn't know how to answer. You usually just get checked in without much talking, they give you a room number and tell you how to get there. Done. Not this time. This experience was a great way to end my day. This southern hospitality is real. I have not known how to answer some questions because I was in shock that I was even asked.
Usually, at a restaurant, they don't let you try the wine to make sure you like it. You either like it or you don't but still have to pay for it. I ordered a prosecco at Outback last night and the waitress thought it looked flat. She asked me to try it first because if it was flat she was going to let me have another drink without paying for the glass she already poured. I took a sip and it was still bubbly so I told her it was fine. She proceeded to ask if I was sure because I was paying for it and she didn't want me not to like it. Again, southern hospitality. I would have never been asked where I'm from.
The hotel staff here is incredibly kind. We have needed multiple bottles of water and we have gotten most of them for free, although they are supposed to charge you. They just say this one's on us. What?! My friend's daughter wanted some mac n' cheese and they went up to pay for it and once again, "This one's on us."
Everywhere you go here, even walking on the sidewalk, people are saying hello. Most of the time, it's looked down on, and don't look at the person coming towards you.
Kindness Feeds My Soul
There have been more kindness actions that have happened during this trip. I could go on and on. This southern kindness has fed my soul. I didn't realize how much I needed that kindness until I got here. It was a breath of fresh air to see that there are people who are still kind and not trying to take advantage of others. That's the environment that some of us, maybe more than some, have to live in. It is kind of upsetting that I don't know how to respond to kindness and people who go out of their way to help you and make you smile. This was just the place I needed to come this weekend. It rejuvenated my mindset and rejuvenated my soul.
Feed Your Soul With a Bucket List
If you don't have a bucket list written or typed somewhere, I recommend you do it. It could be a handwritten list, a typed list on your computer or phone, or in the form of a vision board. It's been researched that if you write something done or have a visual you are more likely to accomplish it. Make that list, make a vision board. There is so much to see out there, so much to do. Travel to improve your mental wellness and take a break from your daily life. It keeps your mind wandering and healthy.
Duke University
Going to a Duke basketball game was something on my bucket list and I finally had a great chance to go with some great people. My friend's wife had a connection so she gave it a shot. That connection got us some tickets. On Friday, we went to go pick up our tickets at will call. We were expecting seats at the top, which didn't matter. There are no bad seats in Cameron and we were just so happy to be there because it is not easy getting tickets to a game. The stadium only seats 9,000 so it's a smaller stadium than most.
Our friend comes back with the tickets and we take a look at where we were going to be sitting. Section 19. Where in the world was that? We went to look at the stadium map and we got an incredible surprise. We were 6 rows behind Duke's bench. We couldn't believe it. We were not expecting that at all. We were all so excited to have this opportunity.
We get to the game and find our seats, although we were packed in there like sardines, everyone was so friendly. It had a community feel. We were sitting by Vernon Carey's family, Joey Baker's family, and Alex O'Connell's family. We got really close to David Robinson, too. Wow, he's tall! It was unreal. I can see why others say it is hard to play in Cameron, it is loud and the fans are intimidating. I can only imagine what it sounds like during a Duke-UNC game. We enjoyed the game and the atmosphere for the rest of the night. It was wonderful and a good way to practice being present, at the moment.
FEED YOUR SOUL
Humans are meant to travel. We are meant for connection. We are meant for wellness. Travel when you can. Try new things when you can. Everyone is deserving of special moments. Everyone is deserving of kindness. Get out in the world, no matter what your definition of travel may be. Do you and have some fun! It's good for the mind and the soul. Feed your soul with travel and watch your wellness improve.
Your Certified Brain Health Coach,
Ashley
Owner of SustainaBRAIN
