“If you step off the grid and simply stand still you will eventually bump into somebody with a gift or a story to share.”
Albuquerque is the final leg of this year’s trip. Last year, Albuquerque(ABQ) was the first stop on my journey. Unlike the one night stopover from last summer, I am hanging in ABQ for two nights.
I really enjoyed the road trip through southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. I was really taken by the area around the Raton Pass at the two states’ borders. It was very scenic, very green and unlike much of what I had seen on any other part of any other drive this year.
The trip to ABQ featured a little bit of everything:
- quiet time at the Mauger Inn an awesome Bed & Breakfast that features great breakfasts, a very comfortable front porch for watching the world pass by or read a book, accessibility to old downtown and the river routes.
- two great bike rides — one south along the Rio Grande and a northern loop that finished through the University of New Mexico campus and downtown.
- enjoyable conversation and dinner with friends.
- a very engaged and inspiring workshop with one of my favorite clients.
As I sat on the porch this morning thinking about my time in ABQ and the overall experiences of my entire journey, I was really enjoying the quiet to reflect and celebrate.
There are few things I have done in the past year that bring me as much joy and peace as the opportunity to explore the country, ride my bike with people who share the stories of their surroundings while we are pedaling, and the occasion to share my story and the inspiration of the gifts I have been given.
I shared the quote featured at the top of this article while engaged in an impromptu conversation with a fellow author and his significant other on the porch at breakfast. We were sharing our stories about the joys of life and the energy that comes from slowing down and discovering all we really have in our respective worlds.
Sometimes all we need to do is take a break, let the world come to us, and we will eventually bump into someone who has something to share with us that will inspire, energize, or educate us. The challenge in this activity is the willingness to step off the grid long enough to let that happen. Few of us take enough time to take a break and celebrate or enjoy the moments we have.
It only takes a moment. It only requires the courage and the curiosity to get off the grid. And, all you need to do is be open to receiving something unexpected and simple.
On this journey, I have celebrated something special, unexpected, and simple. It is the gift that makes the driving, the biking, the constant packing and unpacking, and the different beds all worth it.
You do not need three weeks to take a break from the grid — only interest to see what happens when you make yourself accessible to the world without expectations, tension, or judgement. Give it a try — you will be amazed!!
