What is your pilgrimage?

Burn, Baby Burn

Each year I plan an annual trip. I hesitate to call it a vacation, it is my once-a-year journey of self-discovery and time to disconnect from the world. This year, that trip was Burning Man.

 I spent 5 years in a row visiting Thailand, up to five weeks at a time. Then I fell in love with sailing the British Virgin Isles (BVI’s) and I did that for 4 years in a row. Then I found Burning Man (or should I say, Burning Man found me).

 The first time I went, it was just one of those bucket list things I wanted to try. I figured I would just go once, something to experience and move on, like so many other bucket list trips I’ve gone on (Machu Pichu, the Galapagos Islands, Thailand, etc…).

 I knew it would be dusty and I don’t like to be dirty. I am a shower every day, maybe twice a day guy, so living in the dust would be something I would have to endure and put up with for me to get through this week in the dessert.

Turned out, I liked the dust

 Who would have known, certainly not me, but I really enjoyed the dust. You don’t get dirty, and it’s not sand, it’s more like baby powder, and who doesn’t like baby powder? Once, I found a plastic bag, a good six months after one of my “burns” and when I opened it, dust came out and that familiar smell sent me back to the dessert in an instant and I wished I could go back.

 So I did.

 This year was my seventh journey to Black Rock City, the place that rises up from the dust each year for one week of parties, music, art and community. Each year there are things that make me re-think going back, but for the past 9 years (two years were cancelled because of Covid) I keep going back.

 An annual pilgrimage

 It is my annual way of hitting the reset button and it gets me motivated to come back to the “default world” inspired to succeed in everything I do. No other place nor journey has given me back as much as this annual pilgrimage.

 The dictionary says a pilgrimage is journey where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life.

 This is exactly why I go each year and while I am not sure if Burning Man will be in the cards for me every year, this type of journey will always be part of my annual schedule. Better yet, I am finding ways to go on mini-pilgrimages that can only last a weekend, or a day or even a couple of hours.

 Taking my four wheeler off road to a tiny secluded beach where there is no cell service, just gentle waves, palm trees and fine sand can be a pilgrimage. Disconnecting from the news media, from “reality” TV, from work and other distractions is something people do not do enough of.

 So many people are stuck in a revolving door of kids, work, shopping, cooking, and then bedtime, that it is hard for them to even consider disconnecting for even a few hours.

 Where will you go?

 I have a friend who does an annual pilgrimage into the woods, all alone for up to 10 days. It is a very healing experience and it helps her reset and reconnect with herself before going back to the grind we all call work.

I have also found meditation to be very rewarding because it allows me to disconnect my mind, if for even 10 minutes during my day. Something that almost always helps me focus and relax.

It isn’t easy to live in the dessert or the deep woods for 10 days. Sometimes the best rewards takes commitment, it takes sacrifice, it takes resolve. But inner peace can also be found in easier places, like a getaway to a nice beach resort or a weeklong cruise. 

What is your annual pilgrimage? Do you have any rituals that help you with self-care?

There are always excuses why we not set forth on these journeys (money, time, kids, lack of time off), but there is no excuse for prioritizing self-care.

 Start planning your annual journey today. Start with a time of the year and commit to using that time to set aside for yourself. Start looking at destinations first, then places to stay, finally, start saving so you can afford to go.

 Be flexible and realistic. If things get tight, don’t give up, maybe shorten the trip a little, but don’t  give up.

 We say often that you only live once, but post Covid, that should mean more than ever. We all lost two years of our lives and people are just starting to travel again. Don’t wait long to start your pilgrimage, because before you know it another two years will be gone, and then another two…

 Where will you go?

Email me at Bob@Naughty-Events.com. I want to hear where you want to go. I am always looking for new opportunities and I can’t burn forever…