Traveling inspires. It incites a sense of self and a sense of wonderment. It can pull one from their tiny corner of the world and allow for the challenging of assumptions. Traveling does the soul good. The self moves out of its comfortable space and into one where it has room to grow, finding new limits.

A recent trip to Australia was inspired by the desire to see the Great Barrier Reef and all of the life teeming within it. Due to climate changes and the effects of man on our environment, the reef is dying at any alarming rate. This incredible life form, stretching from northern Australia all the way up through Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, is the foundation for marine life in that area. It moves, it breathes, it eats. The reef protects and is a home for many species of life. It regulates the sea’s movements and provides Australia’s shores with beautiful waves, breaking with intended care.

Out of my element, from land and from home, I imitated the fish, hoping that I could perhaps grow gills and stay in the ocean just a bit longer. A simple meditation, watching the coral open, feed, and move with the currents of the ocean. Small striped schools of fish float about the coral, hiding for cover in any sign of danger. They peeked out from their reef homes, slowly coming back out when the coasts were clear.

The coral danced with the sea and in the light corridors, illuminating its darkest places. The perpetual snowfall that feeds the tiny coral polyps, which feed the fish, working together to support life itself. It wasn’t difficult to recognize the miracle of life thirty feet below the surface.

It is within these elements that I have the opportunity to go a bit slower and appreciate the moment. Life underwater is precious – it takes only what it needs and finds a home that is just the right size. There is an understanding of nature working together – the coral, the fish, the death and new life.

Focusing on the breath to see how the world works in these exchanges, I can recognize what is most important to me: owning what I need, having items that are functional, appreciating my home space and the comfort it provides me. There is a rejuvenated sense of acknowledgment for foods, each and every flavor, and even slowing down to consume only until I’m full. Each new day is a new opportunity to explore and a chance to be grateful for more life. The regimented obligations of daily life sometimes don’t leave the chance to explore and express new feelings, to see new things. Too much of life is spent fulfilling some commitment, fitting into an already busy schedule.

Traveling blindfolds you and spins you around – it whispers in your ear to follow a new path and see where it takes you. There is freedom for exploration of places, spaces, faces and things. There is more to be learned outside of our tiny bubble than we allow ourselves the opportunity to pursue. That’s why there is always a commitment to self: to say yes more, to go somewhere new and unexplored every year, to be more forgiving if the gym isn’t hit or if an article remains unfinished.

We learn from trying new things and testing the limits of our lives. Who knows if there’s a second round to try again or if we are going to have eternal life after death? The meaning of life is just to be alive. And in this season of gratitude and the giving of self, being alive is so much more meaningful when we remember to appreciate it every single day.