avatarBrett Jenae Tomlin

Summary

Brett Jenae Tomlin shares her experiences of showing gratitude and spontaneous generosity while traveling as a woman with anxiety, illustrating how these acts enhance her travel experiences and connect her with others.

Abstract

In a heartfelt travel blog post, Brett Jenae Tomlin recounts her journey of overcoming anxiety through travel and the profound gratitude she feels for the kindnesses she's received from strangers. She describes a memorable incident in Fredericksburg, Texas, where she and her partner anonymously paid for a celebrating couple's breakfast, highlighting how food can be a means of connection and love. Tomlin reflects on the various acts of generosity she's encountered, from simple gestures like a smile or directions to more substantial offerings like meals or event tickets. She emphasizes that these acts of kindness, no matter how small, have the power to ease anxiety and create meaningful human connections. The author also encourages readers to practice gratitude by giving back to fellow travelers and offers ideas for spontaneous generosity on the road. Tomlin concludes by expressing her belief in the transformative power of gratitude and hope, especially in the context of future travel planning amidst the uncertainties of a post-pandemic world.

Opinions

  • The author believes that travel can be a transformative experience for those with anxiety, leading to increased joy and connection with others.
  • Acts of spontaneous generosity, such as buying a meal for another couple, are seen as a way to express gratitude and enhance the travel experience.
  • Food is viewed not just as sustenance but as a form of currency and love that transcends language barriers and fosters human connection.
  • The author values the small acts of kindness received during travel, considering them as significant as larger gestures.
  • Tomlin advocates for the importance of giving back while traveling, suggesting a range of ways to show thankfulness and support to fellow travelers.
  • The act of gifting travel to others is considered an exciting and satisfying way to spread joy and practice hope for the future.
  • The author emphasizes the role of gratitude in making travel more meaningful and in building a sense of global community and shared humanity.

Travel Blog

Showing Gratitude in Travel as a Woman With Anxiety

Thankfulness and giving in to spontaneous generosity abroad

Wall painting near Borough Market in London (Image Credit: Author’s Own)

When I began to calculate the givings and reapings of joy and kindness from my travels and the humans who crossed my path, I became full to overflowing with gratitude.

Anxiety kept me from leaving home for a long time, but when I did, I was astounded.

As I began to travel, I was received with open arms by humans who shared sweet stories, good advice, momentary kindnesses, tasty vittles, or long, lovely walks and soul-quenching conversations.

Showing gratitude for gifts like these can be a simple, silent prayer of thankfulness, but nothing feels better than responding to my joy with spontaneous generosity.

Breakfast for two, for four!

On a trip to Fredericksburg, Texas last fall, we found ourselves waiting in line at a lovely, highly-rated local breakfast spot. This house-turned-restaurant had a simple, yet New England-style elegance and a warmth sure to hail more than the wide-eyed, weary foodie travelers we were.

We began chatting with the couple behind us in line to pass the time. They told us they were in town for their anniversary. They had left their home and their ten children behind to seek a weekend to themselves, which they were very much enjoying.

We finally made it to the front of the line. We put our names in and then sat with a cup of coffee on the homely front porch of “Emma + Ollie” until our table was ready. The celebrating couple did the same.

Gravel paths lead to goodness (Image Credit: Author’s Own)

In all honesty, I couldn’t take my eyes off them. They were so much enjoying their time as it passed! They weren’t on their phones or staring at their watches.

They spoke gently to each other and touched hands and shoulders intermittently. I smiled as I looked over at my lover. Their love reminded me of ours.

Intoxicated by their celebration, I shared my desire to surprise them with breakfast with my partner after we had been seated. We decided to go for it.

I told our server that we would like to pick up another check, pointing the couple out to her on a hopefully nonchalant, but decidedly fun secret sleuthing mission through the restaurant to find where they were sitting. The staff was overjoyed and supportive. They were happy to be included in our fun.

The toastie of a lifetime (Image Credit: Author’s Own)

Our dining experience on the back patio was superb, with fresh squeezed orange juice served in sweet enameled farmhouse cups and a breakfast toastie that still makes my mouth water when I think of it.

We were still scooping our organic egg scrambles from wide-mouth jars when the other couple came back to re-meet us and share their excitement at having received our gift. We weren’t expecting their overwhelming gratitude, but we accepted it and they left.

We carried on, finished our delicious meal, and then ordered some house-made desserts for later.

Gifting food is for humans who love humans

I suppose this is a bit of a foodie rant, but the meat of it is a key to the best kind of travel joy: one that leads to connection and increases our humanity.

In travel, I have been gifted and given, among other things, food and drink as a way to communicate and connect.

Food is currency and it is love, in travel and in life.

People love to share it when they don’t know what else to share. What’s more, social awkwardness melts away because words are less important in the presence of shared food and drink.

Generosity is never too small

Generosity is never too small, even when the giving seems trivial. In travel, I have been gifted: brave advice, a slice of pizza, a cup of hot cocoa, a trolley ride, a sweatshirt to keep warm…

…many kind smiles, a penny for the restroom, cups of coffee, hilarious conversations, and shared stories…

…extra towels, rides, trips and tickets to shows, bottles of water, directions, restaurant recommendations…

…food recommendations, travel snacks, and travel maps.

I’m sure there are more gifts that I have forgotten to mention here, but every gift I have received in travel I have received as love.

Each time I received one of these gifts, I felt welcomed. I felt accepted and less afraid.

The smallest kindness away from home can make my anxiety melt away, leaving my spicy, fun-loving nature to shine through. I’ve gone from lost and alone to positively zesty in one sweet gesture.

So now, when I travel, I try with all my might to give back and pass it on to other weary, needing, or anxious travelers like me.

A generous list of ideas

Here are some ideas to whet the appetite for showing thankfulness abroad.

Some givings are low cost: a cup of coffee, a bottle of water, a cup of ale, a bag of crisps, a bus ticket, an apple, or some trail mix.

Some are more pricey or involved: a meal or meals, an event or experience, a piece of clothing, a hat or shoes, a round of drinks, a bottle of wine or bubbly, a souvenir, or a lift.

Some are free: a travel map (if we don’t need it), directions, a kind smile, acceptance and humor in difficult situations, our seat on crowded transport if we can stand, or an uplifting, supportive comment to or conversation with a fellow (perhaps anxious) traveler.

Setting the table for gratitude (Image Credit: Author’s Own)

**Note: Giftings are often on-the-spot needs or opportunities that arrive and retreat quickly, so it is beneficial to act with swiftness, commitment, and celebration to get the most out of our generous ideas.

Trips are not just for taking

Gratitude, like travel, has the ability to give me wings. Those wings fly me to all sorts of ideas, some grander than others.

Showing gratitude for travel can mean gifting travel to others.

When I have the means, I love to gift someone the ability to do something or go somewhere they’ve always wanted to go. It doesn’t happen often, but the times I have gifted trips to friends and family have been exciting and satisfying.

It’s hard to think about this sometimes, especially after all the world has been through surrounding the pandemic.

But planning trips for myself and for loved ones is one way to practice hope as I aim to make the most of a future that is uncertain.

I cannot predict the future, but I can continue to make plans in it.

I may, too, practice hope — and gratitude — by giving a little love along the way.

I’m Brett Jenae Tomlin, The Anxious Enthusiast.

If you love, love, love my writing and want to shout out, “You get it, anxious girl!” You can contribute to my cookbook collection here or join Medium to put your own stamp on the web and the world. I get a little love if you use my link ^^

If you’d like to write your own story about gratitude and travel, check out the Globetrotters publication or click the link below to see the prompt:

Travel
Mental Health
Gratitude
Anxiety
Monthly Challenge
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