Permission

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I remember the first time, probably only a few years ago, that I added those two little words to my out of office email reply. “On vacation”. GASP.

We Americans, in general, like to pretend like no one needs a vacation. If we do take one, we try to pass it off as if it’s actually work, or we’re at a conference, or we announce that everyone should feel free to text us if they need anything… no, no, really, don’t worry about it… you can text me… no problem.

I think that this is, in fact, a problem.

Rather than write about how everyone should unplug more often and take more time off (please do!), though, what I want to explore is this idea of permission. I’ve been thinking a lot about that this week as I’ve met more seekers and explorers and adventurers, many of whom have done a lot of the the things I’ve been saying I’m going to do “someday”.

Take the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage in northern Spain.

I’ve been obsessing about walking the whole Camino for at least five years, halfheartedly looking at the calendar and trying to figure out when I might pull off being gone that long (it takes about a month), batting around fearful thoughts around whether it would be safe to do it alone, and deep down believing that I’m just not allowed to do that.

Allowed. By whom, exactly? Who made that rule?

Then I met a woman (here in Baja) in her late sixties who walked the whole damn thing alone with just a backpack a little over a year ago. Well then. If she can do it, so can I.

So here we are circling back again to who says? Why not?

I love the idea that as we get braver, as we step a little further out of our comfort zones and give ourselves permission to do the things we’ve dreamed of, we give others permission to do the same.

That’s why I changed my OOO years ago to say “on vacation” instead of just the vague “away from my desk”. No more pretending that I’m actually working in order to feed my own ego or our culture’s obsession with work. Maybe in stating that, I’m giving someone who reads it the permission they need.

My friend who walked the Camino gave me the permission I didn’t realize I was needing. Maybe when I do it, it will give someone else the same… is it possible that this is part of the definition of karma?

So pull out your calendar, traveling friends. What brave and wonderful and adventurous thing can you do? It can be big or small, matters not. Pick something, let people know about it, and delight in the knowledge that you just gave someone else permission to be brave, too.

In love and adventure,

Traveling Girl