Preparing to Travel

Intentions

May 11, 2025

Preparing to Travel

I’m packed, last minute reminders taped in the right places: credit cards; driver’s license (do I really need that? I’m not driving in Japan); insurance card; emergency contact card; even my cremation card!; Iphone; snacks; book. Obsessively check to see that I have my passport. Travel documents printed; passport and first destination hotel in my Iphone photos for ready access at customs. Suitcase ready to be zipped and security lock set. Travel clothes laid out on the bed. Taxi reserved for the way too early hour of 4am. Recycling, trash, and compost will go out tomorrow. Lunch at Breadman’s with a friend; I always seem to do my departure meal there.

A group of fellow Americans, my traveling companions for the trip, none of whom I know will arrive, all of us tired from a long trip. There will likely be some degree of travel sophistication among the group. For sure we are relatively economically privileged, or we wouldn’t be on the tour. We’ll have figured out the clothes, how we think we should be dressing. Those traveling as couples will probably seek out other couples during the first dinner gathering. Friends traveling together will group and then I as a single traveler will begin the process of seeing where I fit in, who will be my tribe on this journey.

I have noticed that I often begin a group trip with a bit of arrogance on board….’I’m a world traveler. I’ve lived in Botswana for a year. I’ve got it all together. Surely, I don’t act like a typical American…I’m cool, go with the flow’. Well, some of that may be true but in reality, there is an underlying tension that I carry. I’m all too aware that I don’t want any other travelers to exhibit behavior that annoys me. Certainly, I don’t want ANY political discussions…I’m going to Japan and ceasing all media following and no reading of political columns. How dare anyone want to disrupt that! I want to make it a hard and fast rule.

And this morning as I focus on refreshing my practice of loving kindness, I realize that all of us will be experiencing some discomfort, some degrees of dissatisfaction (food, bed, transportation, health challenges, fear, problems at home…. the list will go on). As we are all human, this discomfort can easily translate in various kinds of reactive behavior, perhaps with lack of awareness of the source. I am NOT exempt. Rigidity on my part can easily set in when my creature comforts are threatened. But being a process person, one who chats out loud and fairly openly about my distress, I remind myself that EVERYONE IS NOT INTERESTED!!

So my practice challenge is to work with my awareness, my capacity to not act on my distress at least some of the time, and to extend acceptance and compassion to my fellow travelers. And to enjoy Japan! I’ll let you know how it goes.