Seeing Yourself

This past week I found myself in a new place. I traveled to Hawaii to visit the island of Kauai. My boyfriend and I went to celebrate our birthdays that fall at the end of December and the end of January.

We walked on the beach and hiked through Waimea Canyon, snorkeled over reefs and scuba-dived through lava tunnels with green sea turtles.

All week I found myself thinking of this quote from author and journalist Chuck Klosterman: ”Art and love are the same thing: it’s the process of seeing yourself in things that are not you.” I would add an addendum: movement and travel also spur this process of seeing yourself in things that aren’t you.

Our bodies are technically solids, with firm boundaries. But we are filled with liquid and gas, which makes the boundary between ourselves and the rest of the world fluid, changeable. With every breath in or out or sip of water or trip to the bathroom we change that boundary slightly. When we recognize that the boundary between us and not-us is fluid, it becomes easier to see ourselves in everything - in new places and ideas, in people with very different experiences, and things we never thought possible.

This week I’m filled up with gratitude for all of the people, places, and ideas that have made me redefine how I see myself and where I see myself in the world.