Wisdom from Brené Brown & a Paris Cathedral
I’ve been reading Brené Brown's new book, Atlas of the Heart, and this particular passage deeply resonated with me.
It reminds me of a story.
(Of course that story involves travel.)
🥰
In 2017, I decided to spend 3 months living and working in Europe. It had been a rough year, and I needed to get away to find perspective and direction.
I remember walking through the airport, getting on a plane, and landing in Paris in a daze.
The first day I barely got out of bed.
My often-very-mouthy inner critic promptly berated me, reminding me how ridiculous the situation was:
You’re in Paris, and all you’ve seen is your hotel room.
I told her to be quiet so I could rest a while longer, but eventually, I did get up to at least go get an espresso.
That espresso led to a crepe.
The crepe led to walking along the Seine.
The walk led to a bus.
The bus led to the Sacré-Cœur.
That espresso led to a crepe.
The crepe led to walking along the Seine.
The walk led to a bus.
The bus led to the Sacré-Cœur.
I had no idea why I was even there. I’d been inside so many cathedrals during my years of travel that I’d sort of created a rule that I only go inside those without long, touristy lines.
This one had a line—a very long, tourist-filled line.
Yet I found myself filing in.
It was instinctual. To this day, I’m not sure what came over me. I just knew I was being drawn inside. It wasn’t even a question.
As I walked in, I immediately found a bench, and I sat down.
I closed my eyes, and much like Brene’s quote, I was hoping somehow I’d look up and find a clear sign that offered some semblance of a shore, of connection to solid ground.
Anything to help me stop feeling like I'm drowning.
I was hoping I’d look up and find a clear sign that offered some semblance of a shore, of connection to solid ground.
Instead, I saw a giant bubble gum machine hovering above everyone’s heads.
No joke.
I looked around to see if anyone else saw this (as one does in such cases).
Nope.
Just me.
Figures.
Instead, I saw a giant bubble gum machine hovering above everyone’s heads.
No joke.
I looked around to see if anyone else saw this (as one does in such cases).
Nope.
Just me.Figures.
Strangely, I knew immediately what it meant, though, and I heard this small voice simply say, "You're always looking outside yourself for answers."
I knew the voice was right. I wanted to simply be able to ask God a question, put in a coin (like prayer) ... and plop ... an answer gets spit out to me—just like a gum ball.
I was treating God/Divine/Source/Whatever You Call That Thing That's Bigger Than All of Us like this huge gum ball machine floating out there, disconnected from me, yet full of all the answers I need. Those answers were—or so I thought—my connection to shore.
What happened next is hard to explain.
It was like I suddenly understood God and Divine Wisdom actually lived inside me.
That connection to myself = connection to the Divine.
And because of that, the answers potentially lived inside of me, too.
I didn’t need to connect with some smarter-than-me, outside source to find solid ground.
I already had solid ground within me.
I just needed to stop long enough to acknowledge, listen to and learn to trust it.
That moment was the beginning of the most amazing spiritual journey I've been on to-date.
All the transformation I’ve experienced in the last few years can be traced back to a single decision I made after visiting the Sacré-Cœur: to allow space each day for connecting with that solid ground inside and allowing wisdom to bubble up and speak.
This trip was the beginning of my personal meditation practice of creating space each morning to listen. Space that allows the wisdom deep in my soul to find its way to me.
This is exactly how travel—even if it's the shortest of getaways—can transform us. It takes us out of our routine and creates space for those "a-ha" moments.
Many readers have reached out to let me know you enjoyed my blog, "Travel Tip #1 - The one question to ask yourself before your next travel journey." You were excited to create the space to think about and answer that question, soo….
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Here’s to a year full of clarity and deep wisdom!
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