There’s something inside a person that makes them want to wander the world.
Sometimes it is looking for an answer to the meaning of your life, sometimes it’s just something deep inside of you that wants to know everything, about everything:
- Pilgrimage for your soul.
- Soulful yearning for discovery.
- Quest for inner truth.
- Mystical exploration.
- Contemplative journey.
- Yearning for wholeness.
- Peace-seeking adventure.
- Growth through experience.
Call it what you will, whatever phrase resonates with you, at the heart of it all, it is a lost place inside you that leaves a hole that needs to be filled in some way.
I was inspired by an ad in our college paper about SWAP (Students’ Working Abroad Program). You could go to any number of countries and work for the summer. I felt an excitement in my stomach, seeing this ad suddenly opened something in me that said, ‘This is it! ’’
At that moment, I realized I had been on a soul journey; I didn’t know what I was looking for. I didn’t realize this would be a reflection of my somewhat solo future. My everlasting desire is to learn, grow, and nurture everything.
Cultivating the love of beauty in all forms (a gift from my Mom), and I wanted to take it all home with me. ( I didn’t ask, but I really wanted to take the painting, ‘The Interior of the Grote Kerk at Haarlem’ by Pieter Saenredam home with me, but since I was backpacking, I settled for a postcard.
I remember it like it was yesterday, and that was one of my first travel-inspired mementos, which merely triggered the feelings I felt when I first saw it.
Your Journey
As a traveller, walking, running, or cycling in different places is the soul seeking peacefulness, quiet, nature, or beauty. Even your own breathing rhythm and how invigorating the mosey walk, intense run, or even a cycle leaves you feeling alive! You might find yourself wishing you could pack up all you were feeling and seeing and put it in a jar to open whenever you wanted to experience it again.
Is there a way to recreate the moment with color, sounds, lighting, and warmth in your home?
The Sanctuary
Peace through space instead of action.
A place for post-run stretching, reading, reflecting on your well-being – things like that. A space filled with natural light where you can reflect on personal growth, self-care, and mindfulness with meditation, yoga, or journaling
Choose Your Corner
It doesn’t need to be a whole room. Look around your home with a traveller’s eye. Where does the light in the room come from? Is there an awkward coat closet that you can transform? The goal is to choose a spot that feels separate, even symbolically, from the chaos of everyday life.
A window nook, an isolated chair, or a little space in your bedroom will work.
Engaging the Senses
- Sight: Prioritize soft natural light, or use warm-toned lamps or fairy lights for a magical glow like the lights over the Danube in Vienna, Budapest, or Belgrade.
- Sound: What is the ‘sound of peace’ to you? Is it the waterfall near Benidorm, or the rush of the water at Bundoran beach in Ireland, where the surfers catch the waves? Soft music reminds you of the sound of the flamenco dancers’ shoes in Barcelona. Maybe the voices of the crowds you pass during the ten-mile road race in Chelsea? Even the sound of silence can be healing.
- Touch: I am very tactile, and I love to feel soft fabrics, deep pile rugs you can get your toes into, and sherpa blankets that wrap you in a little place of comfort and joy. I also have an affinity for the cool finish or polished amethyst from the local mine where I live, and the beauty of seaglass in beautiful colors.
- Smell: A natural scented air diffuser or candle can trigger feelings or heighten your sense of smell. The smell of eucalyptus reminds you of running through Levada Do Rei in Madeira, Portugal.
The Power of a Focal Point
Sometimes I hear a quote, and it resonates with every sense in my body.
One of my favorites is:
| 1 John 3:18 (NIV) “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” |
I love to write down and remind myself of the teachings I have heard my whole life. A focal point for you in your new sanctuary could be some scripture wall decor, or even a cushion with the Lord’s Prayer, or any one of a million things that can focus your mind and spirit in the grace of God.
Even if you aren’t raised as a Christian, spiritual reminders from Gandhi or Buddha, or even Mother Nature, could bring some peace and wisdom to your soul and change the energy, remind you of your faith and why you need peace and gratefulness in your life.
Uniqueness
My Sanctuary isn’t just one little spot in my house, but everywhere I have something special.
My house is unique because I have eclectic things everywhere. I have a piece of the Berlin Wall I picked up the year it came down, I have a glass insulator from the hydro wires that my Dad gave me, as he was a lineman my whole life, and I even have a blue glass replica of a gondola from Venice, the year we travelled on a cruise from there.
I mean to go back to the National Gallery and get a poster this time!
Conclusion
An intentional space created just for you, a place to find peace, take time out to remember, a place to keep delicate momentos, spiritual motivation, scriptures, or pieces of nature.
It doesn’t need to be anything but special to you, a place for reflection and grounding yourself. It is like you, unique, beautiful (to the beholder), and something you can share with others if you so wish.
You’re building (as it will never be ‘finished’) a haven for a calmer, more focused, and more inspired you, no passport required.