I have a saying – “Be Inspired and Live Free! For the last five years or so, travel has been my inspiration. It fills me up inside to, ultimately, feel free!
I once saw a quote – “I love traveling to awaken my consciousness more and more.” When I read that, it spoke to my soul. Through travel, I’ve learned so much about myself, the world, and others. It has greatly supported me in my personal and spiritual development. Shifting my perspective on life for the better.
One of the ways my travel experiences have helped me is to not hold on to things in life so tight. Not to hold on so tight to the things I deem important because of my conditioning, advertising, and societal influence.
Not that such things are wrong or that they’re things we should not attempt to attain, but that they do not necessarily hold the key to joy, abundance, or even affluence.
In the summer of 2021, my partner Ruthie and I decided to ditch our D.C. apartment to live as nomads. We first traveled across the U.S. and then embarked on a few trips abroad to Namibia, Dubai, and Colombia. I had three simple, yet moving experiences in those places that reinforced my perspective on where to find abundance, joy, and contentment.
The first was in Namibia. During our trip, we visited a National Park to experience a safari. The safari was amazing. Perhaps more moving was seeing the animals near our hotel. The hotel we stayed at had a watering hole for animals to visit and drink from. The hotel was set up so you could observe the animals at the watering hole from a close, but safe distance. Around 5 pm every day, several animals would come to the watering hole. We called it “happy hour”. Every night, Ruthie and I would observe the animals under the stars. We’d sit and watch them be animals. Watch as they jockey for position to lick the salt off the rocks. Watch them look up whenever they heard a noise to ensure it wasn’t a predator. We sat there until the last animal left.
One night I said to Ruthie, “I feel like I could sit here for the rest of my life.” It was so connecting, peaceful, and simple, yet fulfilling and abundant.
Fast forward to February 2022. While visiting a friend in Dubai, Ruthie and I went on an overnight excursion in the middle of the desert. The Empty Quarter in Abu Dhabi. It was about a 3-hour drive from downtown Dubai. Our guide was a gentleman named Kareem from Egypt. Kareen was in his 60s and lived in Dubai for more than 20 years with his wife, raising their three children. He had been doing this tour for years.
At our campsite, it was just the three of us surrounded by endless sand dunes. We sat under the stars drinking tea, talking about life, the universe, and growing consciously. At one point, I turned to Ruthie and said, “this is life, I wish I could bottle this up”. Like our time in Namibia watching the animals, it was connecting, peaceful, and simple, yet fulfilling and abundant.
Skip ahead a month, and it’s March of 2022. Ruthie and I are in Cartagena, Colombia. In 2019, I spent two months there volunteering. I wanted to go back with Ruthie, so we spent a month volunteering at a high school, assisting the English Teachers. One day, Ruthie and I were outside with a handful of students. At this point, we’d been there a few weeks and had gotten to know the students. On this day, the interaction with the students was particularly synergistic and bonding. Just us two Americans in the school courtyard sweating under the hot sun, with a small table and a few chairs. Teaching, growing and learning with these 16 and 17yr old’s from Cartagena. Like my time in Namibia and Abu Dhabi, it was connecting, peaceful, and simple, yet fulfilling and abundant.
After we left the school, I couldn’t help but reflect on our time with the students and the similar emotions it evoked to our experiences in Namibia and Abu Dhabi.
These moments, in some ways, are more rewarding than any monetary gain or tangible achievement. It dawned on me that our ancestors, thousands of years ago, didn’t have the currency we do today. They didn’t have fancy cars, big homes, clothes, and other monetary achievements we’re conditioned to want. But… they did have a solid connection to nature and animals. They did have the stars and the emptiness of night in desolate locations. They did have a human connection with each other.
Those moments in Namibia, Abu Dhabi, and Cartagena represented the fulfillment and abundance of our ancestors. Moments that do not require anything but the earth and each other.
That is…”Being Inspired and Living Free”!
Through his travels, Ricardo discovered the inspiration to empower others to create the purpose-driven life they desire, rich with experiences, growth, service, and relationships. You can find him at www.ricardowilkins.com
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