Travel is ZEN

I was in Newark airport, eating a bagel with cream cheese. I don't normally eat bagels and certainly not with cream cheese, but I was savoring it because I was hungry and there was little else from which to choose. 

As I sat there, happily munching on my bagel, it became clear to me why I love to travel. When I travel, I am in the moment. I am completely awake, aware, appreciative, and alive. I am unhurried. I do things that I would not normally do.

When I travel, all the silly distractions of everyday life fade away. I am 100% focused on the present moment. Years of yoga have not brought me to that state, yet the minute I enter an airport and embark on a journey, I'm all-there.  Food has more flavor. People are more interesting. I see beauty in everyday scenery. Across time zones, clocks are irrelevant. Instead, I listen to my body. I eat when I'm truly hungry; I sleep when I'm honestly tired. 

When I travel, I attain a sudden wellspring of patience, tolerance and humility that eludes me in "everyday" life.

Travel is ZEN.