Joy and the Art of Surrender…in Travel and Life

airports | Dianna Bonny Photography

I was on the road earlier this week, traveling to Colorado from California as the lucky recipient of a trip to meet an exquisite group of people who are in the business of doing their darndest to change the world, as well as to take part in a thought provoking leadership seminar. It was a magical few days, the kind that makes me smile throughout my entire being because I couldn’t have imagined being a part of something like this a few years ago.

I have found it to be true that if we will allow ourselves to explore the aftermath of loss with heart-wide-open curiosity, you never know where the path might take you, or what magic might appear.

During this trip, I realized I am quite fascinated with airports, which no doubt makes me a strange brand of human. Since my flight home was delayed a bit, I decided to walk the never-ending horizontal escalators that span the Denver airport and ponder this fascination. Strolling along the terminal observing the cross section of humanity brought together for the sole purpose of traveling to a destination, it dawned on me that airports are an intersection of hope, adventure and uncertainty.

They represent a bustling hive of possibility, after you have made it through TSA, of course.

You don’t go to an airport to hang out, you go to an airport to go somewhere. But the process of going somewhere, of setting foot onto the sacred ground of travel, demands an element of surrender. This is essential for travel, for life and for healing. Without surrender, we anchor ourselves to the foolish notion that we are in control and then we create a state of resistance.

Unfortunately, resistance can magnetize you to things and experiences you may not want.

I can see this on the faces of the travelers around me as they navigate the frustrations and hazards of travel. Overbooked flights, delays, inclement weather, traffic and mechanical problems all threaten to ruin the best-laid plans.

Exhaustion, anger and frustration took up more space than the air.

As the escalator carried me along, I kept zooming past a father and his 2-year-old daughter, who was giggling with delight and obviously overjoyed to be riding atop his shoulders. At one point we exited opposite escalators at the same time and he mentioned that his flight had been delayed three hours so he decided to seize the moment and make it fun. His wife was having a fit at the gate trying to arm wrestle her way onto another flight despite being told there were no other options.

“I couldn’t stand to watch it any longer,” he said laughing, then set off for another escalated trip down the terminal, daughter in tow. In surrendering, he found a pocket of personal power and joy in the otherwise uncontrollable airport culture.

I thought it was a beautiful metaphor for life.

If you were to surrender to the circumstances before you, where might you find your own pocket of joy? Is resistance magnetizing you to things you don’t want in your life?

Sending immense love.

-db

Who is Dianna Bonny?

Hi, my name is Dianna Bonny. It’s my mission to candidly share my journey with you. For me, it’s all about the healing: to create a radiant healing energy for others who have befallen a similar fate. Together, we can forge beautiful lives of belonging and connection. Thanks for joining me today! I look forward to hearing from you.

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