I’ve just finished an engaging book by Rita Golden Gelman entitled, Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World,. As I read about her travels to Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Israel, the Galapagos Islands, Indonesia, New Zealand, Thailand, and her returns to the United States, I feel envious of this independent woman who just picks up and goes traveling. Of course there seem to be many conditions in her favor: the right age, enough money, free of family obligations immediately come to mind. But that’s no excuse for any of us. Where have we ever heard that we are supposed to live a carbon copy of anyone else’s life? The minute we start with, “I could do that if only _____________,” or “Oh, I couldn’t do that because______________,” we are cutting ourselves short, ending a dream that we could make come true. If we can fill in the blanks with our excuses, we certainly can create our own dreams.
You may wonder why I’m featuring this book in blog for people who like solitude, silence, simplicity and who sometimes like to be alone. Rita Gelman’s travels are far from silent or simple, and she finds very little solitude. In fact, she is an extrovert and admits that she doesn’t like to be alone. She is always looking for new friends and travel companions who are going to out-of-the-way places, and participating in on-the-edge adventures-- all that involve helping the less fortunate in the world.
What we solitudes have in common with Rita is our independence, or shall I say our commitment to follow our bliss and respond to what our soul is shouting out to us. Sure we come up with excuses—that’s part of the process-- but we recognize them, stare them down, and use them to understand what we really want to do. Rita’s experiences can act as a scaffold for our own adventures. She is out there on a limb, independent, adventuresome, listening to her inner voice, being true to her Self, stepping out into the mystery—you name it. We can do that, too. In fact, tomorrow I’m off to Ireland.
You may wonder why I’m featuring this book in blog for people who like solitude, silence, simplicity and who sometimes like to be alone. Rita Gelman’s travels are far from silent or simple, and she finds very little solitude. In fact, she is an extrovert and admits that she doesn’t like to be alone. She is always looking for new friends and travel companions who are going to out-of-the-way places, and participating in on-the-edge adventures-- all that involve helping the less fortunate in the world.
What we solitudes have in common with Rita is our independence, or shall I say our commitment to follow our bliss and respond to what our soul is shouting out to us. Sure we come up with excuses—that’s part of the process-- but we recognize them, stare them down, and use them to understand what we really want to do. Rita’s experiences can act as a scaffold for our own adventures. She is out there on a limb, independent, adventuresome, listening to her inner voice, being true to her Self, stepping out into the mystery—you name it. We can do that, too. In fact, tomorrow I’m off to Ireland.