Out of the Nest

"To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest." -Pema Chodron

We have a difficult time living in the present moment. Our minds are continually looping into past scenarios and future speculations, and we tend to miss the only moment that exists...the present moment...which is the only moment that makes up our lives.

I found that "being thrown out of the nest"-leaving my comfort zone- helps me to wake up to the moment at hand. My senses come more fully into play with all of the new sights, sounds, smells, experiences.

Travel is a great way to disrupt our habits and routines and to wake up more fully. With all of the newness to experience in a place, we are given the opportunity to rest our incessant thinking and just take in the very present moment fully.

We can practice presence in our every day lives in numerous ways- concentrating on our breathing, mindfulness and meditation, becoming an observant witness of our thoughts and feelings. All of this is true for me, but I have discovered the past few years that being thrown out of my country as well as my nest has been a most exciting way to experience life fully and wide awake.

Any ideas where you'd like to fly out of your nest and land next?