Visiting a city you’ve never been to before, is initially disorienting. The logistics of a city are often different from your own, and the maps they provide are usually at a level of granularity just above guessing based on profit making landmarks. Over the last several years I’ve had the opportunity to travel to a dozen countries in Europe. In many of these instances it has been to speak at conferences fulfilling a passion for teaching technology that has enriched my life and business. Adjacent countries during these visits have always lured me with their proximity, adding exposure to new and interesting culture.
During each visit, without conscious effort something or someone seeks to show me the spirit of the city. In those fleeting moments before, expectations seem to melt away and the heart begins to take over from the mind. Once control is released the experience begins to take shape. Color appears more vivid, sounds that may have gone unnoticed before appear symphonic and each step feels somewhat dreamlike. The only word that comes close to describing this enhanced method of travel is: presence.
When in Ireland on an ego-based hunt for more castles, castles, castles, the determination to see the landmark on my needlessly abstract map thrust me into a moment of presence. Meeting the old woman who lived on the nondescript corner I was pulled into feeling Ireland. Her stories, and the dreamlike substance of our shared experience is something I’ll carry with me far beyond any landmark I had visited.
Greece has such an amazingly long and landmark rich history that makes for a photographers dream, and indeed I took a wealth of photos while there. The most memorable experience however, didn’t involve the hike up to the Parthenon or any of the landmarks shown on my map. It was the wanderers journey taken on the last night in search of dinner along the Greek coast. Perhaps it was the Raki, but eating in a small mom & pop restaurant right on the water brought with it a long meditative dreamlike state lazily gazing out into the water. Time didn’t exist nor matter.
My most recent trip brought me to London. Initial disorientation as mentioned above certainly hit me on that first day. I was determined to visit many sightseeing destinations while there, plans firm in hand and nothing was a valid deterrent. And then the other reason for my trip arrived, and presence won me over yet again. Walking along the glistening sidewalks after a fresh rain, through Hyde park watching the squirrels, breathing in the London air, not having a destination and just being. Moments of walking through a large bookstore inhaling the feeling of the printed word, or watching a little toddler playing with a fountain outside of Buckingham Palace while it was 30°F outside have remained more memorable than a few shots of Big Ben. There were countless experiences like this that can’t even be put into words, and the only one that does it any justice is: presence.
So for Thanksgiving this year, I give thanks for family and friends, those I’ve met and shared experiences with during my travels, but most of all, for presence.
