the traveler

Truth be told, I’m not a fly by the seat of your pants, go with the flow, laissez-faire, leave things to chance kinda girl.  I’m the girl with a plan, a thousand to-do lists, a map and a compass to help me navigate this world.  I like to be in control, I like to know what I’m doing and where I’m going.  So the fact that I’ve barely begun planning my trip is a little unsettling.  People have been asking me “Sooooo.  Where are you going?  Whatcha doing?”.  And the answer, invariably remains the same.  “Well… I was thinking Italy or Spain… oooh…. but Morocco sounds nice and then there’s all of Asia.  Have you ever been to Croatia?”

Sure, the plans are slooooowly coming together but the way I’m going about this trip is so uncharacteristic.  One might say it is the opposite of planning.  It’s like planning’s rebellious ornery little sister.  It’s not for lack of interest… justement, there is too much interest, too many places to choose from.  I’m like the gnome in this photo, wide-eyed at all the choices, as if I may never travel again.

But ultimately, I think it boils down to this… the whole point of this trip is to break the mold, to fight the fear and dust off old patterns that are still hanging around like pesky unreachable cobwebs in the corners of my mind.  And the only way I can do that is by letting go (even though it’s about as comfortable as wearing a sweater 3 sizes too small, tearing at the seams in resistance).  I want to go without any expectations because we all know where expectation street often leads… strait to disappointment avenue, people.  I want to go with an open heart and mind.  Sure, I’ll be smart and I will plan some things, book tickets and contact people but I’m also leaving a big old window open for chance to fly in.  Listening to the signs on the wind waves and seeing where they take me.  It’s already beginning.

I can’t put my finger on what I’m looking for on this trip, but these quotes do a pretty good job of putting it into words.

“The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience.  The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him.  He goes sight-seeing.” – Daniel J. Boorstin

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” – Bill Bryson

“Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” – Mark Jenkins

“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” – Jack Kerouac

And of course, lucky Wilbur will be by my side through it all, protecting me.  Don’t let the cute face and curly-q tail fool you.  He’s a kung fu master and will take you down if he feels threatened in the least.   wah-paaaaaah!