One of the things I love about Morocco and traveling in general are the small "random" things that happen that I are out of my world of "normal" reality with which I grew up. No matter which culture we grow up in, we get accustomed to the status quo and to seeing, hearing, and smelling things which are "normal." Traveling is a wonderful way to wake up the senses and step into a different reality of sorts where things that are "every day" to someone else become memorable moments for us. It's also a good reminder that as easy as it is to fall asleep in our own reality with which we are accustomed, keeping our senses tuned in, no matter where we are, is a way of staying awake and living life more deeply.
There are moments that jump out at me that tickle me such as traveling through the countryside near Essaouira yesterday and looking out the window to see goats up in the trees. I'd expect to see birds but I was shaken "awake" when my brain processed a white goat perched on a branch. Later that day, as I was at the beach with some musician friends, a camel was hanging out and grazing near us (another moment when I was tickled-- not something that I'm used to). And there was another time a couple weeks back when I was staying in another part of Essaouira and came home later at night by taxi to see a cow wandering past the front door, headed toward the mosque across the street. While 0ver time, someone could "get used" to seeing things like this, it's a delightful feeling to have that shock of, "Well, THIS is something I'd never see at home. A cow wandering freely through a neighborhood of houses."
This morning, the CD store man woke me up with a smooth jazz pan flute CD. Of all the places in the world to be listening to a smooth jazz pan flute CD, this is bizarre. The funny thing is that next to heavy metal, this is my least favorite kind of music but considering it's a NEW album after he's been playing the some one for the past four days, I am almost relieved.
I continually tell myself when I'm traveling to try and maintain the level of awareness of my environment, seeing things as new, when I return back home but the reality is that we rarely have the energy to stay that awake and live fast-paced lives at the same time. Slowing down and living in a kind of meditation with the moment is the only answer that I have found.
