My husband and I go for a daily morning walk, weather permitting. Recently one day I decided not to go for a walk. It had been raining heavily earlier and the rain was persisting. Rather than getting caught in a downpour, I decided to stay home and complete my walk later when the rain eased.
When my husband arrived home, he said the rain stopped within five minutes of his walk and it held off until he returned. I kept good on my word and I went on my walk an hour later.
There was a light mist in the air and within 20 minutes of my walk, the clouds released their drops. I was drenched within seconds. Luckily I had my rain jacket on. Still, I realised that during travel there are times when you will get rained on.
Why do we stay comfortable?
When I think of trips past overseas, I reflect on the times when my husband and I went out into the world despite the adverse conditions. A little rain? Just put a jacket on. A little cold? Just wear an extra layer. A little dark? Stick to the main busy roads and hang out with the crowd.
So, why do we stay comfortable when we’re home? I guess we stay comfortable because home has all the comforts. You’re not on a timeline per se, you don’t have to stick to a strict schedule and you can explore home any time you want.
When you head overseas, you never know when you’re going to return. So, you make the most of it. You take those calculated risks and stretch your comfort zone in order to experience your unexplored surrounds. Home keeps you encased in your comfort cocoon and there’s nothing really stopping you from shedding it.
Trying to control the uncontrollable
Whenever I travel, there are variables I have complete control over. I travel where I want to go, when, which airline and what I eat. I can control where I stay, what route I want to take and what things I want to experience. But even so, the controllable has an element of uncontrollable.
What happens when a flight is postponed or cancelled? What happens when you can’t travel somewhere because of changes to visa requirements? What if a restauranteur misunderstands your request for vegan and adds dairy to your meal?
You just have to go with the flow, reassess the situation and adjust your circumstances accordingly.
You just have to shed your comfort cocoon and put your rain jacket on.
When it rains it pours
Sometimes when we travel, uncontrollable variables tend to happen at once. So how do we adjust and keep the chin up? Persistence is the key and a dose of optimism helps. Things do improve, and the clouds eventually part to let the sunlight in.
While I was being drenched by the rain on my daily walk, I stopped and stood momentarily. I actually turned my head and looked down the path from where I came. For a split second I thought about turning back and walking home. But I realised I had arrived at a point where I was about two-thirds into my walk and only a short distance from a favourite coffee shop of mine. I decided to continue.
Seek shelter and wait a little while for the weather pass
When we travel and when we’re in a situation where those uncontrollable variables are a little overwhelming, then seek shelter. Stop where you are or choose an alternative route. But what if you don’t want to stop? The only option then is to trudge through because you may find a nice surprise at the end.
Once I decided to keep walking, the rain eased off within a matter of minutes. I arrived at the coffee shop and I was rewarded by a nice warm soy latte and a toasted slice of banana bread. When the rain eased more, I re-zipped my rain jacket and headed out.
The rain soon returned and I got rained on heavily two more times before I got home. When I got home, my sneakers, socks and clothes were mostly saturated and soggy. But, my coffee and banana bread session kept me warm and fuzzy for the journey home.
The rain does eventually pass but we can find ways to stay warm and fuzzy inside.
