Be Where Your Feet Are
By Néya Sridhar
“Be where your feet are.”
I originally saw this phrase on Pinterest when I was looking at tattoo ideas. It sounds so simple. But the more I sat with this idea, the more I realized how difficult it is to live this way.
San Juan Downtown | Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
Life is oftentimes spent wanting to achieve. It’s not a bad thing; it’s how we grow. The very first question we’re asked as kids is, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Not who are you, but what comes next.
We are born with the anticipation of what is next.
Chilkur Balaji Temple | Hyderabad, India
Elementary school becomes preparation for middle school. Middle school becomes a waiting room for high school. High school becomes a launchpad for college. And even in college, we’re told to think about internships, careers, the next step, the next title.
The next version of ourselves.
It’s almost ironic that we call them “achievements,” because the moment we reach one, it immediately becomes the past. Something to list, to move on from, to build upon. Rarely something to fully sit in.
City Palace | Jaipur, India
But when does this cycle stop? When is it that we truly are where our feet are?
For me, it is when I travel.
Traveling interrupts the rhythm. It pulls you out of autopilot. Suddenly, nothing is familiar enough to ignore. You can’t just move through your day without thinking. The act of physically stepping into a new environment is a shock to the body, as the normalcy of day-to-day life gets challenged. You are forced to be present.
Joshua Tree National Park | California, USA
The air smells different. The sounds of a language you don’t fully understand keep you on your toes. The colors of the clothes, the chaos of the streets, the stillness, whatever it may be. Even something as simple as ordering food becomes an experience, not a task.
Tian Tan Buddha | Hong Kong, China
And in those moments, there is no “next step.”
There is no resume, no to-do list, no expectation. No future version of yourself you’re trying to “become.”
There is only where your feet are.
And maybe that’s the point; not that life should be one long vacation, but that presence shouldn’t require escape.
Volcano Fuego | Acatenango Hike, Guatemala
Perhaps the goal isn’t to stop achieving, but to stop living as if achievement is the only place where life happens.
Because if we’re always chasing what’s next, we risk never actually being anywhere at all.
