Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Home Again: Readjusting to Everyday Life

Has it already been two weeks since I got home ?

Since getting back it's felt as though my life prior to the trip has simply recommenced, with little change. I've obviously noticed some changes in myself. I seem to have outgrown the comfort zone that I had established for myself.

The wonderful thing about this is that I feel able to forge some new paths. I don't mean making any radical decisions, I've had my fill of them for a little while, but I rather mean that I feel empowered to steer my life around some different obstacles.

I don't like the idea of being too comfortable.

I went for a walk with my dog the other day, went down to the park at the end of my street and walked the same way I walked around Bratislava or Berlin, but I noticed a big difference in how it felt. The familiarity of my surroundings meant my eyes passed over them without really seeing them. The human mind has a tendency (with good reason) to ease cognitive load, and one facet of this is that familiar things are dismissed in favour of perceiving and seeking to understand the new elements in the scenery.

Overseas this meant that every stroll around the city was awe-inspiring. The smell of the air, the colour of the sky, the feel of the ground under my feet; everything was remarkable.

My point is not that I need to move house every time things get familiar. I suppose the point I'm trying to make is that I never want to get so comfortable with my life that the amazing aspects of it cease to be remarkable.

I suppose my point is the age-old "count your blessings" philosophy.

BUT: just because this philosophy is familiar to you, doesn't mean it isn't important - and it doesn't mean it can't have immediate and lasting relevance.