Some years ago, our family traveled to Spain. We stayed primarily in Barcelona, with day trips to explore outside the city. One of those excursions was a guided larger group tour that took us hiking up and down cliffs and swimming in protected coves along the coast.
The weather was warm and beautiful. The views of the water were stunning. The food along the way was not fancy, but fresh and authentically Spanish. It was one of the most memorable days of any trip we’ve ever taken.
And that was even before we came across a busy nude beach. Old men and middle-aged women, young families, people from every generation relaxing in the warm sun unencumbered by fabric. My three kids were ages 10-15 at the time, so you can imagine their wide eyes as we trudged along the sand toward the path to walk up the next cliff. Not only did we clearly stand out as hikers on a group tour, but we were fully clothed!
We took no offense to the lack of clothes on the beachgoers, but it was challenging in the moment to know how to approach this with our American kids who’d been taught that people’s private parts were private. With instructions to keep eyes forward and not stare, we eventually got across the beach and continued on our way.
In the end, we reminded our kids that our ways aren’t the only ways out there, that people all over the world act differently. Different isn’t wrong, it’s just different, and we respect that.
While awkward at the time, moments like these are the reason travel is so important to me. Travel takes you out of your comfort zone. It forces you to deal with circumstances that might be uncomfortable. But in doing so, you open your mind and see the world through a wider lens as to what’s out there and what’s possible. This glimpse outside your regular environment, even briefly, yields more understanding and compassion for others than you’d ever get by staying home.
Can’t fly to a foreign country? You can venture closer to home and get the same benefits. Even “staycations” can be amazing. The key is to make sure you get out of your normal routine and invite yourself to get a little uncomfortable.
Explore the parts of your city you’ve never seen before. Go to a restaurant serving a type of food you’ve never tried or invite some people over for a potluck meal and cook it in your own kitchen (bonus points if you also learn something about that country!). Make time for a day trip to a nearby historic site or museum that teaches you about a culture other than your own.
No time off? At the very least, mixing things up in your daily routine can produce a similar mental shift. Take a different class or change your weight routine at the gym. Hike a different trail in the park. Drive a different route to work or the grocery store. Get your coffee from a different vendor on the weekend or order a different item off the lunch menu.
Routine can make our regular days easier and more efficient, but it can also make us less tolerant of anything out of the ordinary that comes along. Normalizing differences makes them feel less intimidating or threatening.
You don’t have to cross a nude beach in a foreign country with your teenager to get more comfortable being uncomfortable. Even closer to home, explore outside your regular boundaries and see what you discover!
Want to read more? For past Connecting the Dots posts, click here: https://howsyourimpact.com/connecting-the-dots-archive/
