Traveling: Life...and death

I was packing for Egypt and trying to tie up all the loose ends when I had a realization. It might have been partially based on some of my recent life experiences and current status in life, but nonetheless, it was profound and changed the way I think about traveling…and Life.

Remember in Alice in Wonderland when Alice asks, "Why is a raven like a writing desk?" Well, my question sort of came out with the answer, "And that's why traveling is a little like dying." I often think of Ancient Egypt and all that they have left for us that surrounds both life and death and many would say that they seemed to be preoccupied with death and dying. But everything they did to prepare for death was to live in the “After Life”.

So many objects that are left with the deceased in their tombs are to help them to survive in the After Life….the food, the beer, the water, the linen for clothing, the shoes, the little helpers, the papyrus scrolls with instructions and the writing on the walls and on their coffins to help them to walk upright, know where all the gates and doors are, and how to be sure not to have their head on too high or walk upside down.

The Ancient Egyptians mourned their loved ones when they passed away but there seems to have been a knowing that while their loved ones were not there anymore with them physically, they WERE living in another dimension. They were hunting, fishing, eating, praying and sailing in boats.

I’ve always heard that when you return from a trip somewhere that you return a little different and that somehow the trip itself changes you. If we look at modern day traveling like the Ancient Egyptians viewed and prepared for the After Life, we can begin to see that perhaps a small part of us dies a little bit to our “old life” as we enjoy being somewhere else. doing something new and hanging out with other people. We prepare to go to this “new life” by checking things off our list so that we can go and not worry about what we might have forgotten or left behind. We get all of our bills paid, have the mail held, mow the grass and water the plants and let our loved ones know where they can find us if there’s an emergency.

As I prepared for my trip to Egypt, I thought about the Ancient Egyptians and how they prepared for the After Life. I also thought about my dear friend who recently passed away but didn’t expect it. She didn’t get to hold her mail or pay her electric bill or finish uploading her clients images to dropbox or toss out the leftovers going bad in the fridge. I thought about how she is gone and that I can’t call her anymore to share fun things and how we’re all still here without her living life.

I thought about everything that I was worried about and the family that was going to be here at home while I was away….that I would still be living but not always accessible and that in a way we would be living our own lives without each other. That in a way, I would be “dead”….not here, not a part of things, not feeding the horses or spending time with my daughter and new granddaughter or with my son and grandson for Monday night family dinners at the farm.

As I walked out the door to head to the airport there was the letting go of everything here at home so I could enjoy where I was going…..not to just go out of town but it was like going to live another life.

Maybe I’m not exactly making all of this make sense like it does to me in my head….it’s a concept that I’m trying to explain in words but perhaps you understand. As I think about what the lesson is here, I think that it’s in really REALLY letting go of things that you can’t control and really REALLY coming to terms with it and really REALLY living and being your Self and enjoying Life. We can prepare and we can try to control things but when we’re not here to be in charge or do something about it, we are left with no other choice but to let go and surrender.

If you’ve read this far, thank you! If you have sometimes wondered why a raven is like a writing desk or if traveling is like dying, I hope this helped to answer those questions. If you haven’t ever contemplated these questions before, I hope that you have a better understanding of the Ancient Egyptians, of life, of death, of surrendering and putting some of that AE wisdom to practice in your own life.

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