That Blank Itinerary

I'm the kind of person who makes lists. Who has many lists. For everything. Lists seemed effective. It provided guidance and measured progress. Did I have the right list? Did it cover all of the bases? Was it efficient and praise-worthy? Though to whom I have no idea. Letting go of my list is a big thing.

It was a Friday morning at 5:00 am when I boarded the train from Rabat to Chefchouen. I had seen so many beautiful photos of this place and knew I wanted to visit. However, I challenged myself to not do any research. It was an almost 6 hour train ride and the temptation to research the destination and put together a list of sites to see and things to do was strong. Instead I pulled out a book called, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". It was a philosophical narrative of sorts and I thought the title of the book quite peculiar but given the rave reviews picked it up for my trip. Thus far I wasn't overly impressed, but as I read the following lines I paused.

“The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.”

As fields of green and terracotta villages passed by me I thought hard about the quote. I thought about how I could make a positive contribution to the world. At this point it seemed like a grandiose desire. However, in the context of my own heart and heads. It was for sure a start!