Have you ever had the opportunity to take a vacation, and tried vacationing at home instead of getting away? In the past, as a homebody, I have been tempted to stay put when vacationing. I love home– not just the house, but the feeling of comfort, rest, and security in my family’s home. But, over the years, I’ve learned an important lesson– there is a depth of refreshment that only a change of surroundings can bring. No calls, no emails, no home repairs, no stacks of mail and papers that inevitably crowd life at home. The advantage here is obvious– getting away is an escape from the reminders of tasks yet undone, of pressures and responsibilities lurking in corners within the home. But there are more reasons why travel is a healthy and welcome change to the pace of life. I’ve reflected on why this change of surroundings is so nourishing and necessary.
Recently, my family took a trip to Washington D.C. The trip was anything but restful– full of miles of walking, museum tours, metro rides, security check-points– but although tiring, it was nonetheless refreshing. Part of the refreshment was due to the complete immersion into something different than the normal details of life. I have always loved history, and this binge on the history of our country was a treat for my soul. So, when planning any kind of getaway, I like to think of immersion into some area of passion as a healing opportunity to see the forest instead of the trees in life.
But there is more. There is something about the simplicity of being a traveler that is refreshing as well. Living out of a suitcase, with perhaps one or two books, just a few changes of clothes, not a lot of familiar distractions, reminds me of what matters most in life. I am reminded of the classic Greek myth of the fox and the hedgehog here. The fox is a sleek, clever animal– quick, able to dabble here and there, focusing on many things. Often, this is like our busy juggling routine we call life. The hedgehog, on the other hand, is a very slow and simple animal. The hedgehog doesn’t trouble himself with many things, but tends to focus on one main thing, methodically plodding through the simple day. I want to inject more hedgehog into my life– opting to do a few main, important, god-honoring things well rather than juggle a hundred and one less important things. When traveling, the sheer simplicity of life out of a suitcase refocuses my soul on what matters most.
Further, being a traveler reminds me of the hardships that are a necessary part of life. In fact, the English word travel comes from the French “travail,” meaning labor or hardship. When we travel, we engage in an energy-intensive journey, as opposed to being a tourist, where we buy a catered adventure free of the nuisances that fill out the spectrum of life experiences. I tend to slip into a mode of living where I expect leisure and rest to be the daily right. But travel reminds me that energy-intensive process is often as important or more so than the closure of the product. It is not just the museum that is significant, but the trip to the museum with the children on the metro that completes the experience.
It is no coincidence that traveling imagery is often used to describe the spiritual life. The classic John Bunyan story, Pilgrim’s Progress, reveals the process of pursuing God’s goodness amidst a life path of perils, temptations, hardships, and pains. The pilgrim learns trust, and discovers that the hunger for more of God is what keeps his wayward heart from the wrong path. Surely, it is the arduous journey that yields these lessons, not the mountaintop or the comfortable evening at home. So, I enjoy my time at home, but I enjoy it even more when mixed with a measure of traveling lessons.
