narrow-mindedness
Mark Twain wrote, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
I am not convinced that this is entirely true. One of my favorite movies of all time, Shirley Valentine, has a fabulous scene that would back me up in my view that prejudiced is a mighty stubborn vice. However, as a woman who for the first sixty years of life only traveled across the United States and Canada, I think the trip to the other side of the Atlantic was good for me. In 2016, encouraged by a friends offer to stay with her in Spain, and another friends suggestion we rendezvous in Edinburgh, I filled my backpack and headed east. The image to the left was taken toward the end of my adventure as I ferried from Newhaven, England to Dieppe, France. Perhaps travel is like money, when you have/experience more, it simply amplifies your genuine nature. My journey reinforced my already solid feeling of being surrounded by grace.
Speaking of getting around. Horse ToTem has been traveling with me for several years. Above we see Horse making friends with a bartender in Penicuik, Scotland; milling about with tourists in front of the Montmatre Sacré-Cœur basilica; tailgating before the Old Crow Medicine Show concert at Red Rocks and enjoying the downeast peace of Ocean Point, Maine. Since Horse ToTem is a symbol of moving forward, with strength and power, I highly recommend the pendant (which is also sold as a key fob) for Graduates and Mothers. To offer some additional traveling support, we can add malachite to Horse ToTem. Ancient wisdom tells us that the green stone helps comfort folks while traveling, and this applies to modern modes as well. So if you have a fear of flying, suffer from jet lag or just don’t feel comfortable in unfamiliar situations, wear malachite. Please feel free to email me a photo* of your Horse ToTem traveling around the world or relaxing in your backyard. A photo will put you in the running to win a pair of coquette earrings. *By sending me a photo you are giving me permission to post it here and, if I ever return, on my social media platforms.
If you are not one to jump on a plane or head out on the highway, take comfort. According to Rilke,
Life is a gift of nature; but beautiful living is the gift of wisdom. Greek Adage
“The only journey is the one within.”
And with this, I agree completely. As much as I delight in acquainting myself with strangers, experiencing diverse cultures and witnessing the quality of air, shadows and sunsets in a foreign land, the journey within is the one I am perpetually prepared for. It is the journey that is taken unaccompanied, but not unattended. We are sustained with an extraordinary amount of support, guidance and comfort from forces seen and unseen, at all times.
It is with this sentiment in mind, and in my bones, that the Quiet Road program came into being. The concept is simple, yet it can be transforming. Creating a quiet space, staying still, sincerely listening. As a girl I literally rode alone into the woods and discovered tranquility. Then a bunch of ‘life things’ happened and I was thrown from the symbolic horse and did not get back in the proverbial saddle until about fifteen years ago. That’s when it became undeniably clear that riding horses, in the woods, silently, could help folks along their journey within. Well, clear to me, but that’s just the kind of hairpin I am.
“I am not afraid… I was born to do this.”
Joan of Arc
In a few weeks I will be taking a train to Charleston, South Carolina. While there my friend will be hosting an Amy Ragsdale Trunk Show. You might consider hosting one in your home or office. As well as being a reasonable excuse to get your friends together, my low pressure Trunk Shows are often offered as a way to raise funds for organizations.
After Charleston, perhaps I will drive to Maine to visit with my children or fly to Tennessee for an end of summer wedding. Somewhere in the not too distant future I see myself on horseback, riding from Wexford, through Ballycogley and along the shores of Kilmore Quay. Riding for days across Ireland. All kinds of heaven, and God willing, just enough hell.
Tell me if you have ever fallen in love while traveling. Is there a location that, although you had never been there before, was intensely recognizable? Do you have a favorite song for the open road? Please respond below and be in the running to win a pair of coquette earrings!
Walk with me,
Amy