Being Ready: Imminent Reintegration
That’s it. The last day of our journey. Well, this part on the journey we call life, but you know what I mean.
Our campervan journey chapter, coming to a close.
Tomorrow we get the ferry back to the UK. We arrived in Bilbao yesterday and we’re currently parked on a hill opposite the city, on the other side of the river. Twinkling lights of the city by night and by day, well, so far, it’s under a blanket of grey and droplets of ‘liquid sun’. And it seems that four months of intense heat has made wimps of us, as we cower from within the warmth of Rita, our campervan, who made it across Europe and back intact (more or less). I write to a friend in Sussex for an update on the weather there.
“Please tell me it’s sunny over there. It’s pissing it down here.”
“Haha. Mostly sunny ish.”
That’ll do. Better than what we have here.
Phew.
So, are we ready to go home?
We’ve said we are, but are we really ready?
I say ready... I'm now in jumpers, layer upon layer like the Michelin Baby, and socks have gone back onto my feet, mourning their freedom.
I am more in a state of acceptance, I'd say.
In reality, I’m in total acceptance and also excitement as to what lays ahead. When I used to teach English as a foreign language, a lesson I particularly enjoyed doing with people was one on Culture Shock, where through an interactive game down in teams, we’d look at the various stages. Culture Shock is most commonly connected with travel and spending extended periods in new places, but we can also experience this phenomenon in work, relationships, hobbies and ultimately anything which involves embracing or at least experiencing The New:
Honeymoon Stage - the initial part, where everything is new and exciting, and seen through rose-tinted glasses.
Negotiation Stage - Usually after around three months, the tint on the glasses changes somewhat and you start to see the cracks and issues, which inevitably leads to feelings of frustration and sometimes also anxiety. You might start to feel homesick and long for that place where you can feel comfortable again.
Adjustment Stage - Thankfully, if you wait it out and get through the struggles, you will eventually get to the next stage, where you start to change and adjust to your new reality. It requires change in habits, outlook and ultimately growth from within.
Adaptation Stage - This is also known as the Bicultural Stage and is where you start to feel good again in your new surroundings/life. Essentially you’ve adapted to the new in your life and have reached the other side of the discomfort to finding a new comfort zone you can once again call home.
Re-entry Shock - If your journey involves going back to the old, be it old home, old job, old relationship (aherm), then you’ll inevitably experience a reverse culture shock. This comes as you realise the experience you’ve just had, which required growth and adaptation of the self in a new life, a new skin, has led to you changing as a person. You can feel this change particularly when encountering aspects from your old life upon your return. And so, the Culture Shock cycle recommences and you go back to either the Honeymoon Stage or the Negotation Stage and it all starts again…
In the spiritual community, this same process is often referred to as the Dark Night of the Soul, or the Hero’s Journey, which is a way to describe spiritual transformation. During the Dark Night, the person can feel low, depressed, despondent. Their life can seemingly be falling apart, with turmoil and shit being dug up, essentially. A lot is being uprooted and it is up to us whether to see it, face it, or bury our heads. Ultimately, the Hero must face their shadow and only in so doing can they re-emerge in a stronger and more beautiful form. Spiritual growth can be painful and happens in stages, hence dying a thousand deaths along our life path. We shed what no longer serves us, like a snake sheds its skin, like a caterpillar emerging from its cocoon into a beautiful butterfly.
So, we’ll see what awaits us on the other edge of the waters we are about to embark on. How will I feel when back home? What lessons will be coming forth in my being? How will I have changed? I actually look forward to this, to the Reintegration. I know I have learned a lot on this journey in Rita, the Beast from the East (photo still incoming… watch this space…). I look forward to seeing how I bring those new lessons into my “normal” life. And in the end, this is what gives meaning and purpose to the journey we call life. Growth. Learning. Sharing. Repeat.
But my feet are still protesting somewhat. They’d like not to be smothered in socks thank you very much. They’d like to be free. It’s not too much to ask, surely?
