Monday, December 27, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Deep Travel
Someone I recently met mentioned an interesting term: deep travel. Also a person who craves for opportunities to be out of her element, which is actually where she is most in her element, she's eager to find that je nai se quoi kind of excitement that one finds on the road. But without spending a dime.
A piece from Minnesota Public Radio helps to explain: "Tony Hiss writes about travel, but not in terms of exotic spots to visit. He writes about the actual movement from place to place. His new book, "In Motion: the Experience of Travel" argues that all travel, including the daily commute, offers the chance to see the world in a mind-expanding new way." This is what he calls deep travel.
I took this concept into a courtroom with me the following day, my first time standing in front of a judge. Someone sued the organization of which I serve on the board. In my view, the lawsuit was frivolous at best, sad at worst. We'd been given a check-in time of 9:00 a.m., but we had no idea when we'd actually be called. Our case was called first.
Directly in front of the judge's desk, the plaintiff and his wife stood on my right, and the other defendant stood off to the left in front of me. The benches behind us were partially filled with other people and their grievances. The room was electric with annoyance and uncertainty, but somehow the judge displayed a lightness of demeanor I wouldn't have believed if I hadn't seen it. His face and gestures and comments were nothing akin to what I associated with a judge. I smiled and laughed quietly several times during the process - surely inappropriate, but how could I not?
The notion of deep travel kept crossing my mind. "Yes, this feeling of discomfort is what makes the best kind of travel," I thought, "But I only drove three miles to experience it." This idea won't keep me from more travel, but it might just remind me to embrace the unexpected closer to home.
A piece from Minnesota Public Radio helps to explain: "Tony Hiss writes about travel, but not in terms of exotic spots to visit. He writes about the actual movement from place to place. His new book, "In Motion: the Experience of Travel" argues that all travel, including the daily commute, offers the chance to see the world in a mind-expanding new way." This is what he calls deep travel.
I took this concept into a courtroom with me the following day, my first time standing in front of a judge. Someone sued the organization of which I serve on the board. In my view, the lawsuit was frivolous at best, sad at worst. We'd been given a check-in time of 9:00 a.m., but we had no idea when we'd actually be called. Our case was called first.
Directly in front of the judge's desk, the plaintiff and his wife stood on my right, and the other defendant stood off to the left in front of me. The benches behind us were partially filled with other people and their grievances. The room was electric with annoyance and uncertainty, but somehow the judge displayed a lightness of demeanor I wouldn't have believed if I hadn't seen it. His face and gestures and comments were nothing akin to what I associated with a judge. I smiled and laughed quietly several times during the process - surely inappropriate, but how could I not?
The notion of deep travel kept crossing my mind. "Yes, this feeling of discomfort is what makes the best kind of travel," I thought, "But I only drove three miles to experience it." This idea won't keep me from more travel, but it might just remind me to embrace the unexpected closer to home.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Hands Across Borders
I have a laundry list of stories about experiences on borders around the world. This piece starts to explore some of what I've learned along along the way.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)