Travel to The Smokies and Come home to Yourself

Recently, I was visiting a coffee shop in Asheville. I had our pup Bo, so I couldn’t resist sitting outside. It was still hot but the whispers of fall were in the air. The slight cool of the breeze made me so comfortable, it was a welcome change after a long, hot summer. I decided to put away work and do some reading for myself.

The article I chose was about being distracted by technology and how to train our brains to exist in the context of all the screens surrounding us. As I began to read, the author made an interesting distinction: the opposite of distraction is not focus, it’s traction. Though it seems obvious, this stood out to me because my assumption has always been if i’m getting distracted in my everyday life, I must find a way to better focus.

Traction draws you towards something you want. The opposite of that would be distraction.

What makes this distinction so interesting is it changes where the accountability rests… and that would be squarely on our shoulders. In other words, I don’t have a focus problem… I have a problem avoiding going towards the thing I want.

If I’m avoiding the things that are to my benefit, like the yoga I know is so good for my body, or time spent in conversation with a friend, why am I choosing to actively distract myself from that? Discomfort.

What are you avoiding?

Had my assumption remained that I, like many of us, “lack a focus,” I’d never realize the truth…that I’m actively avoiding the things that feed my soul. I’ve gotten lost listening to podcasts on how to 10x my productivity and focus only to fall back into the same habits over and over again. I’m in too deep, I’ve often thought. The reason I avoid things is because I’m addicted to technology.

Nope. Turns out, distraction begins from within. In the absence of technology, we will choose anything else if we’re committed to avoiding discomfort.

But why am I avoiding things I love and that are good for me?

Because they’re not comfortable. Take connection, which is surely a goal for many of us. I could hardly believe it myself, but it turns out I will actively avoid connecting. I, like many of us, avoid it unconsciously because even something as beautiful as connecting can be an uncomfortable sensation. It brings up feelings we can’t hold space for… so we pick up the phone and check the ding, all the while fooling ourselves into thinking the very nature of our digital world has made us like this. Sadly, it hasn’t.

Travel far and come home to yourself

I never put together why traveling, and in my present circumstance, living in The Smokies, has facilitated some uncomfortable realizations. For years, having a job with a commute and living in a busy city created the perfect way to avoid the hard questions. One big menu of distractions all at my fingertips. It was so easy to blame my environment, the traffic or technology.

Whenever I would travel, especially to a place surrounded by natural beauty, all the insights and questions would come crashing into me. I couldn’t avoid the truth even if I tried.

I believe Mother Nature doesn’t mess around. She does not lie, it’s impossible, she simply is. And because of that context, we have no choice but to examine ourselves exactly as we are. There is no room for doing all the things that make us feel productive or choosing an emotional escape, there is only being.

And friends, that is such a beautiful place to be. It can be difficult, but it is what traveling was made for. Yes, we can see and experience something different, which expands our horizons, but I find it’s the coming home to yourself that is the most valuable part of vacation. Growing our awareness and understanding of who we are in this space and time is what keeps us evolving. And that is priceless.

Psst… looking for a quickie all-in-one guide to Bryson City (Western North Carolina area)? Check out our travel guide to The Smokies! These are our favorite spots we’d recommend to friends and family.

Ps. We create weekly videos of life here in Bryson City and things to do in town and the surrounding Great Smoky Mountain area 😊 Subscribe to our channel for a weekly dose of life in the mountains.