Tuesday, October 27, 2009

I Love Travel

The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.
Wm. Shakespeare, "Julius Caesar"









It has been brought to my attention that I've given the impression in my blog (thanks for reading, BTW!), that I hate traveling. At first, I thought, "No big deal," people can think what they want, it has no bearing on the reality of the situation.

And then, of course, my neurotic, anal-retentive, OCD self felt the need to achieve some clarification and set the record straight.

So, I'd like to clarify that I love to travel. The proof, in the end, is in the pudding. If I really hated traveling, we wouldn't travel like we do, though I have to confess, perhaps after reading my travel posts, a person could easily get this impression. Then again, after reading my parenting posts, they could get the impression that I hate parenting, and I won't even go there.

The reality is, traveling and parenting (at least certain approaches) are all about the challenges, but more importantly, having the wherewithal to accept the challenges, overcome them, and then learn and grow from the experience. That's why we choose to parent the "hard way." Sure, it isn't always fun and easy, and I have a tendency to moan and whine about it (an understatement if there ever was one), but in the end, that's what makes for better content, or at least more amusing stories.

Because in the end, nobody wants to hear about how great things are in your life. They tend to gravitate to the negatives and forget or ignore (or disdain) the positives. Just look at what sells newspapers and magazines. People don't want to hear about how great your vacation was or how much you love your life. They want to hear how miserable you are and how much you're suffering so they're glad they aren't in your shoes. Family is the exception to this rule, not including my mom or brother, of course.

And from a personal POV, you can't beat the thrill and exhiliration of operating out of your element, which is what travel, and parenting, for that matter, are all about. Let's face it, if you sequester yourself in the warmth and familiarity of your comfort zone, life is safe and easy, but it can just pass you by. Life is about taking a chance now and then, of putting yourself in uncomfortable situations, coming out the other end unscathed (relatively speaking), and realizing that what you dreadfully feared in the first place really wasn't so bad after all. These are the lessons we want to impart on our kids, and the only way to lead is by example.

So in conclusion, I'd just like to clarify that I love traveling and I love being a parent. However, I also love writing about how difficult they both can be, because they are, but that's why we get so much out of them.

Okay, I've said enough. Hail Caesar, and thanks for reading, and thanks to myles davidson for the pic.

2 comments:

BookChook said...

I think you nailed it when you linked travel and parenting, Fred. Both have huge rewards, but somehow they are rarely easy. I've just been to the western coast of Australia for the first time. Most of my conversation recently has been to damn the flies, heat, dust and saltbush we travelled through to get there. But, oh, the great experiences and sights once we made it!

phredude said...

Hi Susan, Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. It's great to hear from you. Glad to hear your trip went well, meaning you sweat and suffered and complained a little, which only means you had a great trip and got a lot out of it. But as you astutely point out, what memories! Hope you're well and sorry to be so out of touch. Take care.