Human Being

“To obtain a bird’s eye is to turn a blizzard to a breeze.”

Incubus,
Nice to Know You

 

 

I recently came back from a trip to Melbourne. It meant a lot to me, as the last time I was in Australia was 19 years ago. I was just 6, and I don’t remember much from that trip, except that my brother got a stuffed lamb that is strangely still very much loved in our family today.

I cherished the moments I had in Melbourne, albeit differently as compared to other places I’ve travelled to. Typically, my itinerary would be jam-packed with things to do and see. But it wasn’t like that in Melbourne.

At first it felt exciting to breathe in the crisp air, to experience the sights and landmarks that are so often raved about. But after a while, it felt like there was nothing more to do. “We should have made this trip shorter,” I even remember thinking. 

But then, I realized, that maybe Melbourne is meant to be experienced differently. Instead of constantly moving, you can simply be. You can simply enjoy a blank itinerary, and let your heart decide where to go and what to do. You can simply enjoy being in the present, and savor being thousands of kilometers away from your routine experiences at home. 

With this mindset, I had the time of my life just wandering alone in the city for hours on end, occasionally taking breaks to drink all the coffee I could. And of course, I just had to stop by the local bookstores and record stores.

 

 

 

This doesn’t mean that my wanders were all dreamy, though. At one time, I was calling it a day, and I had to find my way back to the apartment. But Google Maps conveniently decided to act up. What should have been a 15 minute walk turned into 40, as the routes kept changing, even though I was going the right way. 

During that same walk, it really started to pour. The wind was so strong that my umbrella hilariously turned inside out. Whether I liked it or not, I had to deal with the shitty directions and getting soaked in the rain. 

But for what all of it was worth, it was a lot of fun. In those mindful moments, I felt like I was actually alive. I wasn’t racing from one anxious or habitual thought to another. 

Sometimes, this is just what our life needs: a break from being a human doing, for us to be a human being. You don’t always have to be chasing things in your life — goals, desires, ambitions. You can just consciously breathe in, even for a while, and celebrate being alive. 

You can simply be.