Where in the World?

Leaving London yesterday to head back home was a series of extended wait times combined with multiple opportunities to exercise my patience. It started off with a long one hour drive from my London Hotel to Heathrow. The choices I had were to just relax on the ride or start to get worked up.

After a quick check-in, I then had to wait in the security line which was several blocks long. My patience again received an excellent workout. Next, after getting a much needed double tall non-fat latte, I was able to wait for about 90 minutes until my plane was ready to board. More dipping into the patience bucket. I was hoping it didn’t run out.

After boarding the plane, another 45 minutes was spent waiting for the plane to take off. And then the longest wait of all; almost 8 hours to the Washington Dulles airport. I was able to keep myself busy on the plane; music, movies, reading, writing, walking around, eating and then I repeated all of those steps two more times.

We arrived in Dulles right after a major winter storm had ripped through causing massive air traffic delays and cancellations up and down the east coast. Can you guess? Yep, I had to wait in line (not too long) to find out that my flight to Rhode Island was cancelled. I look around and see several hundred people standing in line to get flights for Monday also. I walk up to the counter and the agent says she can get me on stand-by at 8:16 a.m. on Monday morning. I breathe and quickly accept.

I called for hotel reservations and had to wait for another 30 or 40 minutes for the shuttle. Bonus: I did get to stand in the snow for little while. After checking in at the Marriott, I waited for room service. After eating a light meal, I was ready for bed. Now for the funny part, the least amount of waiting was the 5 hours I got to sleep before getting up early so that I could be at the airport for 5:30 a.m. The agent insisted I get in that early even though my flight was at 8:16 a.m. You know what I’m going to say next. My flight was delayed over an hour. I spent that time eating two breakfasts and designing the entire framework for a new website I’ve been wanting to create.

The point to this long story is that I could have had an absolutely miserable time just like I saw so many people having during that long endless trip over two days. But, I’m a firm believer that wherever you are is where you are supposed to be. So, I very rarely get upset for delays, missed connections and late appointments. I used the time to do something else; explore a new retail shop, chat with a fellow traveler, read a new book, write or work on a photography project for example.

Now, after all this, I arrived at exactly the same time in Rhode Island as my business partner Nat, his wife and daughter. They had been flying from California since Saturday and had experienced 36 hours of delays. What a pleasant surprise at the end of a very long journey to see a very good friend and his family!

Make the most of the time you have. It’s your choice to have fun with what life throws at you. Remember, your attitude is the only thing you really have control over.

Michael

My original plan for the weekend in London was to spend some time with friends. Something came up for them and they had to leave town. So, I was left to figure out what to do by myself.Years ago, I would have been bothered by this. In fact, I would have actually been angry that “my” plans changed. I liked and thrived on having agendas, plans and actions that did not deviate at all from the original.

Over the last few years, I’ve made significant progress in relaxing around how I interact with the ever changing world around me. It really has to do with the concept of Going with the Flow. My attitude towards my friends after they explained their new plans was simply; “It must be the right thing for them to do.” I did not take it personally and saw it as an opportunity for me to create an adventure.

On Saturday, I jumped on the tube (subway) and headed to Leicester Square. As I mentioned in Part 2 of Going with Flow, I started walking in the first direction that came to mind. I didn’t think about it. In summary, my day consisted of:

• Finding and walking around several unique books stores
• A very interesting 30 minute conversation with a Swami
• A brief conversation with the owner of an antique art and engraving shop (she was a “nutter” to quote a U.K. phrase)
• Fantastic cappuccinos and lattes
• Lovely spicy italian pizza (thin crust)
• Loads of people watching
• Wandering around Covent Garden market
• Visit to the seven story Waterstone bookstore in Piccadilly Circus
• Several photo opportunities
• Some good exercise (several miles of walking)

Of course everything turned out perfectly because I had an open attitude and didn’t focus on not spending time with my friends.

Next time your plans change, try out a new attitude for size. Believe that this is exactly how things should be and then “go with the flow.”

Have a great adventure!

Michael

London is the home of a dizzying mix of cultures, politics, religions and belief systems. Even more fascinating is that this eclectic group of individuals lives, works and plays together quite well.I think the rest of the world could learn something from this unlikely “experiment” of openness and tolerance. Of course it’s not perfect, but it comes close.

One of my favorite things to do in London is to sit in areas where lots of people congregate and just watch the diversity of people. In a matter of minutes you can see people from dozens of different countries and all continents, some of them tourists and others residents. Everyone just seems to be having fun and not really worried about where the other person comes from or what religion they might be.

London is a great lesson for all us to practice more patience, understanding, tolerance and instill a desire to learn more about our fellow humans. We are blessed to live in such a rich, diverse world.

Go out and experience some of it. Practice tolerance. Be an example of understanding. Have some fun.

Have a wonderful day!

Michael

For me, special places are where your heart sings, you get a lump in your throat, your soul becomes peaceful and your mind becomes quiet. Everyone has a special place or two; a favorite park, a tree, a certain seashore, restaurant, etc. It doesn’t matter where the place it is. The point is that it affects you on so many levels that you are changed each time you go.Yosemite National Park is my special place. I absolutely love the entire park, but there is one place that changes me every time I go. There are basically three ways to drive into the park; the northern, middle and southern route. California Hwy 120 is the northern road and the route I frequently take to enter Yosemite.

As I drive the winding roads through forests of Ponderosa Pine, Western Juniper and Jeffrey Pine, my anticipation level steadily increases as my car climbs elevation. I’ve been here so many times that I almost know every curve in the road, every granite rock outcropping and where the spectacular views can be found. The air is crisp up here above 6000 feet. The aromas of conifers touch the senses.

Very near the opening to Yosemite Valley, turning your head west as you drive, gives a view of an open area that dramatically drops off to the right. You can barely get a sense that a river is up ahead and has been working for thousands of years snaking its way through the granite. I’m very close now to my special place and my excitement level is off the scale.

Up ahead, the road turns to the left and immediately on the right is a scenic vista point with a parking area. This is the first moment you can see the valley from Hwy 120. No words make it from my mind to my vocal cords. I walk down the slight embankment towards the valley and then turn slightly to the right and in seconds I cannot see the parking lot at all.

I continue to slowly inch my way down. It becomes steeper with each step I take. I climb down a very sharp drop off. I’ve reached my special place; a small ledge that overlooks the Merced River rushing through the valley almost 2000 feet below me. All I can hear is the river and the wind. No cars. No other people around.

My mind is still. My heart has slowed down. My breath is barely noticeable while my eyes follow the river east up the valley towards El Capitan and Half Dome. I’m like a battery that needs re-charging. This special place gives me a charge that lasts for months. It’s like having years of therapy crammed into 30 minutes. I feel rejuvenated and my belief that all things are possible is renewed. I usually stay for about 30 minutes or so before I begin the long winding drive down to the valley floor.

I do thoroughly enjoy every trip to Yosemite, but that 30 minutes on the ledge changes me, renews me and makes me whole again.

Michael

When I landed in Geneva, Switzerland on Feb. 4th, I noticed something unusual in the immigration line. After standing in line for only a few minutes, I handed my passport to the agent. But, before he even took it from my hand, he looked at me and motioned me through the gate without looking at my passport. That’s never happened to me.

While I was waiting to get gate information for my connecting flight a couple of days later, I noticed something else strange. The airport security guards did not wear a gun. They had a holster but no weapon, but they did have some mace-like spray can. I had no doubt they were airport police, complete with the uniform and insignia. Compare this with Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. The security (army?) personnel carry automatic weapons. Quite intimidating!

So on the day of my flight out of Geneva, I approached an immigration agent again to enter the main terminal. He touched my passport and then motioned me through the gate without even looking at my documents. I asked myself why? It happened twice. I saw the same behavior with several other travelers. I have no answers.

I’m a U.S. citizen and I’ve had many more problems getting into Canada than I had in Switzerland. The agent didn’t even stamp my passport. Is this because Switzerland is a neutral country? Do they have more trust for everyone? I tell you, it sure made me feel that way. I’d like the Canadian immigration agents to take some lessons from the Swiss!

These events made me think a lot about the thoughts/beliefs behind our behaviors. Do the French people have a more fear based belief system like so many U.S. citizens? Is that why we see the automatic weapons display at the airport? Do the Swiss have a much more hopeful and positive view of humanity? Do they (the Swiss) feel this way because of their neutrality conviction? Is that why no weapons are carried in the Geneva airport? I don’t know. It’s all speculation on my part.

How do your negative beliefs affect your perspective? How do they affect your behavior? Most of the time we are not conscious of this “process.” Pick a negative belief and start to observe your behavior, communication and actions to see if there is a correlation. You may be surprised. I know I was.

Hope your day is full of conscious observation,

Michael

The fear of flying was so intense for me that it probably bordered on a phobia. I used to be so terrified of flying that sometimes I had trouble even getting out of the car and then I would need assistance to walk to the terminal. Once I got on the plane, my hands gripped the arm rests until my knuckles turned white. That was before the engines were turned on. The rest of me turned white just about the time we taxied down the runway.

There were several times I got nauseated, dizzy and then I had to use the paper bag supplied by the airline for those “special” occasions. Embarrassingly, one time I remember being so dizzy while I was vomiting that a passenger next to me actually held me upright in my seat, so I wouldn’t fall over. (Thanks to whoever that was! I don’t remember your face.)

Last year I flew over 108,000 miles while reading books and watching movies. Since 2001, I’ve averaged about 80,000 miles a year in air travel. How the heck did I get from phobic to absolutely no issues at all? I’m still trying to figure that out myself.

Fear of flying for me was caused by several things. If you have this fear, you may relate to my fear of flying list:

1. I was not in control of the plane as I would be in my car.
2. Motion sickness was common for me. This added to the fear of flying because it was another thing that made me feel out of control.
3. The thought of spinning wildly out of control as you plummet from 38,000 feet and then slam into the earth, would almost put me into a coma.
4. At the time, I was also terrified of dying.
5. Any bumps or turbulence would set off an immediate sense of impending doom or death.
6. I didn’t want to eat or drink as that would mean I may have to use the airplane restroom, which meant I had to unbuckle my tightly pulled across-my-lap seat belt.
7. I had experienced some fairly intense and terrifying, what I like to call incidents, on previous flights. Still to this day, getting on a prop plane is not something I do.

When I changed jobs in 2001, the position required lots of travel. I actually was looking forward to it, but hadn’t yet figured out how to overcome the fear of flying challenge. I also had not flown very much during the previous years. As you can imagine, I was quite anxious about the entire prospect.

So, I convinced myself that Dramamine was the solution. It would help with the motion sickness and if I was lucky it would render me slightly unconscious or very sleepy. So, I started to fly more. I took the Dramamine. It seemed to work. I had less anxiety and very little motion sickness. But the trick was that I was getting on a plane. In other words I was facing the fear head, albeit with a little Dramamine to help.

After about a year or so, I tried to read on the plane. The first few times I got dizzy, so I stopped. But, I persisted and eventually I could read while flying. Next step was the non-drowsy Dramamine formula.

About 2 1/2 years ago, I started using the wristbands that take advantage of an acupressure point on the inside wrist to alleviate nausea. I was surprised that it worked. I stopped taking Dramamine. Sometimes now I forget to wear the bands and only remember after I land. For the fear of dying, I found a good counselor and worked through those issues.

As you can see, it was a gradual process utilizing several techniques with a healthy dose of determination. Now flying is not a barrier to my intense desire to see the world.

Michael

I flew into Geneva yesterday and had a co-worker drive me to Lausanne which is situated on the north coast of Lake Geneva. I am staying in the Hotel De La Paix. My room has a spectacular view. When I stand on my balcony I look slightly to my left (east) and see the Swiss Alps. Looking directly south I see the lights of a town called Evian-Les-Bains, France. I witnessed a lovely sunset over the lake today.

Travel is one of the benefits of my current job. It is the main reason I took the position over 6 years ago. But, I would have figured out a way to travel more anyway as it is one of my favorite things to do.

One other great benefit of traveling to places you haven’t been before is that it gets you out of your comfort zone. Continuing with my discussions over the last few days, travel is a great way to help break you of fears, habits, molds, ruts and etc. Changing the old habits, overcoming fears and breaking out of ruts will help you to get back “in the flow.” Being in new places also helps to focus you in the present, which is always where you can find more happiness. Actually it is the only place where you can find happiness.

I’m fortunate to be able to travel to Europe and other places, but it’s important to understand that I had the desire to travel first. The opportunities came afterwards.

So, get out of your house and go see something new or travel somewhere that you haven’t visited before. This one personal gesture will have long lasting positive effects and you never know what kind of adventure you may be starting.

Here’s to the “traveler” in you,

Michael