A Backpacker's Reflections on Life - Katrina
My wonderful friends and family,
How does this bright and beautiful October day find you all???
So...I've been doing some thinking about my travels, and just about life in general, and thought I'd pass along my thoughts on it. Just a little prelude...I've been struggling with being content in where I'm at. I haven't been on any big and bold life changing adventures, and struggle with jealousy when hearing of people that have more adventure in their life than I do. BUT...Dave and I know for sure that this (Washington DC) is where God has us for the time being....
So here are my thoughts:
A Backpacker's Reflections on Life
There's more. More to life, more to breathing…thinking…eating…sleeping. What is this thing called life all about? Why do we wake up in the morning one day and decide we're going to go somewhere we've never been before. Meet someone we've never met before. Eat something we've never eaten before. Why do we wake up one morning and instead of going, decide to stay where we've gone, live with the people we've met, stock our fridges with the foods we've tried.
It's almost as though all of humanity is on this common, parallel quest. A quest for…something new? Is it that simple, or are we on a quest for something same. Are we all searching for something beyond our reach, and then when we think we've found it, we miss what we left?
Traveling. It's so interesting to me why people travel. There's this word that all serious travelers share, and almost stand in awe of. When it's said on the trail, or on the streets of a new place, between two people that don't belong there, it's almost as though there's this mysterious deepening into the philosophical realm, and whether or not the conversation continues, there's a mutual respect that develops after this one word is mentioned. "I'm here to experience this place." To touch it, to breath it, to taste it. And more importantly…to belong to it for a while. To feel as though I'm a part of it.. in harmony with it.
It's true. Go somewhere where there are lots of travelers, and start paying attention to the words they use, and why certain people travel together. You might hear things being said like, "I've done China," or "I didn't have too much time, so I fit Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia into 2 weeks!" And if you're around like-minded travelers, that actually understand traveling on a deeper level, you'll then hear irritation and disdain the moment these "cocktail travelers" leave the room. "HOW CAN YOU DO CHINA, IN ANY LESS THAN A LIFETIME?????" Your guitar wielding, blues singing Lowe Alpine owner huffs as you see her nose rise an inch higher in the air. And then the word. Experience. And the world settles back into the state of harmony it was in before the blasphemous words were spoken. The next few hours is then spent sitting back, making a fire, or sitting in the hot tub, and discussing real things. And you'll hear your new friends refer to New Zealand as N-zid, and Australia as Auzzie. They'll talk about the All Blacks, and wonder how they did this season. They clasp your hand, and show you the Maori greeting, laughing at your surprise when your eyes soon find themselves 2 centimeters from theirs. You'll share your own stories…fondly, as though you're talking about your child you left at home. And you'll miss the places you just left…not because of the breathtaking scenery, or because of the exotic foods, but because for a brief moment in time, you belonged there, and you experienced it. And you'll remind yourself to send that email to the guy who picked you up on the side of the road in response to your raised thumb, and let you share his house, and work on his farm, and be a part of his world for a few nights. And then you'll think again about the foolish traveler who blurted that they had "DONE China," and you'll sneer.
But now I'm home. I lived the life of a traveler for some time. But not any sort of traveler. A backpacker. A hostel stayer tent in back yards dry noodle consumer sort of traveler. And while I was gone, it felt right. I felt as though I was Columbus, who sailed the oceans blue, or Napoleon, conquering a new place. Every day was an adventure, every day held something special, and something good. Every day I was stretched beyond my means, and came out on the other end a more complete person. I read back through my travel journal, and know before even opening the book, that the adventure was littered with really bad moments, where I couldn't carry my pack for more than a few steps before my back gave out in pain, only to have to remind myself that I couldn't stop, because I needed to get to the next town before dark. So back the to the word "experience…" this unbending circumstance forced me to push though this pain, and continue down the road, which soon lead me to new friends, and new adventures.
People ask me what my favorite experiences from New Zealand are, and before I even think about the gorgeous rainforests, dropping from craggy cliffs into the white frothy ocean, I remember Simon, who traveled with us for a time, and while he was with us, he found happiness…and he belonged. I wonder how he's doing, and if he's doing okay. I think about Jana, who brought us happiness, but still was on a journey looking for something more out of life. I remember the imprint that she made in my heart, and how I really will never be the same now, after meeting her. I think about all of the little things that made these people special, like the way they would exclaim that something they thought was really great was "mint." And then I think about the craggy cliffs, and the vast volcanic wastelands, and the mammoth rocks perched on their ends, looking as though they'll topple over if given a slight push. But then I remember each one of those places, and who I experienced them with, and then those good places become great.
In my quest for things that are real in life, I've realized 2 things. We are. And God is. We are…as in we exist…together. Not alone, as islands, but we exist to experience life together. I've tried to be fair to all of the different philosophical, scientific, and religious ideas out there. I'm not uncommonly smart, or above average. But in my "averageness," I've looked at everything I know, everything I see in front of me, and I've tried to figure life out as best as I can. The first thing I know is this: I don't know everything. Not even close, and never will. The second I start learning about something new, I realize that that is something else I have just scratched the surface of. Which has brought me to my next conclusion. If there are things out there to be discovered, does that mean that there are things out there that are "unkown?" Never before learned, never before thought of, and never before cared about? So does that make the "discoverer" some sort of Supreme Being? Because by discovering something unknown, he has seemingly brought into existence something that wasn't. Or, does that mean that there is some sort of Supreme Being out there, that already knows it, and we are forever trying to mimic Him, or Her? And then I look at myself, and the people around me, and there's this undeniable suspicion that the life within which I live is just far too complex to have happened by chance. Why would we crave experience with one another, or even with the natural world? It seems as though there's a desire that's rooted even deeper than our desire to eat to not be alone. The worst form of punishment/torture is and always has been isolation.
So now, as I'm home, in our nations capital, I recognize that my desire to go out an experience something new is still in me, and probably always will be. But then I think about what made my experiences so grand while I was traveling. The people. ALWAYS the people. The people that made me laugh, cry, think, believe…and I realize that there are people all around me that I can choose whether to embrace, and love, and experience life with…or I can choose to be forever discontent when I'm not traveling.
I still desire to travel the world…dance with the kids in Africa…learn from the wise in India…cliff dive with the natives in Costa Rica. But I'm not there, I'm here, and if I chose to be there in my heart, I'll never fully experience the here and now.
~Katrina Lynne Marple
How does this bright and beautiful October day find you all???
So...I've been doing some thinking about my travels, and just about life in general, and thought I'd pass along my thoughts on it. Just a little prelude...I've been struggling with being content in where I'm at. I haven't been on any big and bold life changing adventures, and struggle with jealousy when hearing of people that have more adventure in their life than I do. BUT...Dave and I know for sure that this (Washington DC) is where God has us for the time being....
So here are my thoughts:
A Backpacker's Reflections on Life
There's more. More to life, more to breathing…thinking…eating…sleeping. What is this thing called life all about? Why do we wake up in the morning one day and decide we're going to go somewhere we've never been before. Meet someone we've never met before. Eat something we've never eaten before. Why do we wake up one morning and instead of going, decide to stay where we've gone, live with the people we've met, stock our fridges with the foods we've tried.
It's almost as though all of humanity is on this common, parallel quest. A quest for…something new? Is it that simple, or are we on a quest for something same. Are we all searching for something beyond our reach, and then when we think we've found it, we miss what we left?
Traveling. It's so interesting to me why people travel. There's this word that all serious travelers share, and almost stand in awe of. When it's said on the trail, or on the streets of a new place, between two people that don't belong there, it's almost as though there's this mysterious deepening into the philosophical realm, and whether or not the conversation continues, there's a mutual respect that develops after this one word is mentioned. "I'm here to experience this place." To touch it, to breath it, to taste it. And more importantly…to belong to it for a while. To feel as though I'm a part of it.. in harmony with it.
It's true. Go somewhere where there are lots of travelers, and start paying attention to the words they use, and why certain people travel together. You might hear things being said like, "I've done China," or "I didn't have too much time, so I fit Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia into 2 weeks!" And if you're around like-minded travelers, that actually understand traveling on a deeper level, you'll then hear irritation and disdain the moment these "cocktail travelers" leave the room. "HOW CAN YOU DO CHINA, IN ANY LESS THAN A LIFETIME?????" Your guitar wielding, blues singing Lowe Alpine owner huffs as you see her nose rise an inch higher in the air. And then the word. Experience. And the world settles back into the state of harmony it was in before the blasphemous words were spoken. The next few hours is then spent sitting back, making a fire, or sitting in the hot tub, and discussing real things. And you'll hear your new friends refer to New Zealand as N-zid, and Australia as Auzzie. They'll talk about the All Blacks, and wonder how they did this season. They clasp your hand, and show you the Maori greeting, laughing at your surprise when your eyes soon find themselves 2 centimeters from theirs. You'll share your own stories…fondly, as though you're talking about your child you left at home. And you'll miss the places you just left…not because of the breathtaking scenery, or because of the exotic foods, but because for a brief moment in time, you belonged there, and you experienced it. And you'll remind yourself to send that email to the guy who picked you up on the side of the road in response to your raised thumb, and let you share his house, and work on his farm, and be a part of his world for a few nights. And then you'll think again about the foolish traveler who blurted that they had "DONE China," and you'll sneer.
But now I'm home. I lived the life of a traveler for some time. But not any sort of traveler. A backpacker. A hostel stayer tent in back yards dry noodle consumer sort of traveler. And while I was gone, it felt right. I felt as though I was Columbus, who sailed the oceans blue, or Napoleon, conquering a new place. Every day was an adventure, every day held something special, and something good. Every day I was stretched beyond my means, and came out on the other end a more complete person. I read back through my travel journal, and know before even opening the book, that the adventure was littered with really bad moments, where I couldn't carry my pack for more than a few steps before my back gave out in pain, only to have to remind myself that I couldn't stop, because I needed to get to the next town before dark. So back the to the word "experience…" this unbending circumstance forced me to push though this pain, and continue down the road, which soon lead me to new friends, and new adventures.
People ask me what my favorite experiences from New Zealand are, and before I even think about the gorgeous rainforests, dropping from craggy cliffs into the white frothy ocean, I remember Simon, who traveled with us for a time, and while he was with us, he found happiness…and he belonged. I wonder how he's doing, and if he's doing okay. I think about Jana, who brought us happiness, but still was on a journey looking for something more out of life. I remember the imprint that she made in my heart, and how I really will never be the same now, after meeting her. I think about all of the little things that made these people special, like the way they would exclaim that something they thought was really great was "mint." And then I think about the craggy cliffs, and the vast volcanic wastelands, and the mammoth rocks perched on their ends, looking as though they'll topple over if given a slight push. But then I remember each one of those places, and who I experienced them with, and then those good places become great.
In my quest for things that are real in life, I've realized 2 things. We are. And God is. We are…as in we exist…together. Not alone, as islands, but we exist to experience life together. I've tried to be fair to all of the different philosophical, scientific, and religious ideas out there. I'm not uncommonly smart, or above average. But in my "averageness," I've looked at everything I know, everything I see in front of me, and I've tried to figure life out as best as I can. The first thing I know is this: I don't know everything. Not even close, and never will. The second I start learning about something new, I realize that that is something else I have just scratched the surface of. Which has brought me to my next conclusion. If there are things out there to be discovered, does that mean that there are things out there that are "unkown?" Never before learned, never before thought of, and never before cared about? So does that make the "discoverer" some sort of Supreme Being? Because by discovering something unknown, he has seemingly brought into existence something that wasn't. Or, does that mean that there is some sort of Supreme Being out there, that already knows it, and we are forever trying to mimic Him, or Her? And then I look at myself, and the people around me, and there's this undeniable suspicion that the life within which I live is just far too complex to have happened by chance. Why would we crave experience with one another, or even with the natural world? It seems as though there's a desire that's rooted even deeper than our desire to eat to not be alone. The worst form of punishment/torture is and always has been isolation.
So now, as I'm home, in our nations capital, I recognize that my desire to go out an experience something new is still in me, and probably always will be. But then I think about what made my experiences so grand while I was traveling. The people. ALWAYS the people. The people that made me laugh, cry, think, believe…and I realize that there are people all around me that I can choose whether to embrace, and love, and experience life with…or I can choose to be forever discontent when I'm not traveling.
I still desire to travel the world…dance with the kids in Africa…learn from the wise in India…cliff dive with the natives in Costa Rica. But I'm not there, I'm here, and if I chose to be there in my heart, I'll never fully experience the here and now.
~Katrina Lynne Marple
Labels: travel
posted by David and Katrina at
9:58 AM
2 Comments:
Katrina, you're a great writer! You verbalized something that I think many of us have or are still going through. The travel bug bit me hard after NZ, but the Lord led me to Isaiah 42:9 "See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare..." I have really struggled with this because I wanted to get out there and yes, experience, so much more than my suburbia and grocery store allowed. I am impatient and want results right away, but now I see (sounds cliche) that this truly has been a different season, and I have learned so much more in this time of 'isolation' than I could have elsewhere.
Thanks for this encouragement! Love you!
Katrina, lovely post. I'm going through a lot of the same feelings after just getting back from another trip this summer, and it's making me a bit restless here on campus. It's amazing how in a school of 18,000 i can feel isolated in my own room, and then sometimes just feel overwhelmed by the people in my life. I want to run away again and experience the trail, but i'm also trying to figure out how to be satisfied here. I know that I have a mission on campus, and I can see God moving, but it is also incredibly frustrating at times. I hope you all have an awesome fall up there in DC. I'll have to drop by sometime if i'm up your way, I might be coming through in december...
-Daniel
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