“… The pleasure we derive from a journey may be dependent more on the mind-set that we travel with than on the destination we travel to …
What, then, is a travelling mind-set? Receptivity might be said to be its chief characteristic. Receptive, we approach new places with humility. We carry with us no rigid ideas about what is or is not interesting … We dwell at length on the layout of a menu or the clothes of the presenters on the evening news. We are alive to the layers of history beneath the present and take notes and photographs.
Home, by contrast, finds us more settled in our expectations. We feel assured that we have discovered everything interesting about our neighborhood … We have become habituated and therefore blind to it.”
— Alain de Botton in “On Habit,” The Art of Travel
“Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast — you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.”
— Eddie Cantor
My trips this past month have given me an opportunity to practice the acts of wandering and noticing. On returning to New York City from Portland and Seattle, I’m challenged to slow down, look carefully, and notice the little things in the neighborhoods and places I inhabit and frequent — and ultimately, to go about everyday life with a mindset more like that of a traveler.
Tim’s Highlights:
- Neighborhoods: Capitol Hill, Fremont
- Food and Drink: Americana, Caffé Vita, Elysian Brewing Company, HoneyHole
- Hiking, Running, and Walking: Green Lake Park, Mount Si Trail, Myrtle Edwards Park
- Other: Elliott Bay Book Company, Metsker Maps, University of Washington
Tim Lau 
[…] best reflection and learning when I’m on the move. Over time, I’ve also learned that the “traveling mindset” is an instinct that requires practice. It disrupts us from our rigid rhythms and asks us to […]