Travel: Along the Road of Life
This month I traveled to four states, journeyed an estimated 8,500 miles by plane and train and driven two rental cars (one of them a hybrid).
When I was in college I dreamed of the day I would travel for my job. The day I would be a jet-setter and so important that I would need to be in multiple places (outside of my office) in a short period of time to attend meetings, finish important business or cover a breaking news story. I idolized the liberated career woman, the empowered female executive and the brave reporter on television, in movies and in real life. I never had one, but given my aspirations, I would have been the type of child with a Barbie doll in a business suit, carrying a briefcase.
Well, after living the reality, I want a vacation Barbie. And I want a vacation.
All of this travel (and more to the point, the point of the travel) has made me wonder: what it is that drives my drive? Why would I want a Barbie in a business suit? The word success comes to mind. But when I look inside, I think the saying – “the journey is more important than the destination” – is what my drive is all about. What drives my drive is excitement, seeing new places, meeting new people. What drives my drive is doing things that I love: writing and editing for social change.
While these things may “drive my drive,” I still wonder how far I’ve come. My frequent-flyer miles statement will quantify the journey in numbers. By how do I quantify the journey of my life? What have I learned about my drive?
In Brandi Carlisle’s song, The Story, the singer says:
“All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am.
So many stories of where I’ve been
And how I got to where I am.”
Well, that might not be a pretty picture – lines across my face. But there’s definitely some truth to that. Here’s a little more of what Brandi Carlisle has to say:
“But these stories don’t mean anything
When you’ve got no one to tell them to
It’s true – I was made for you.”
So, the lines are fine, as long as you aren’t the only one seeing them.
The lines of this song point to two things I’ve learned in my travels: There’s no escaping reality, i.e., lines across my face; and Tell your story.
I’m a writer, so telling the story isn’t much of a problem. Finding time to tell my story can be a problem.
There’s no escaping reality. I find excitement in what I don’t know or haven’t experienced in my current reality, so you could say that I like to escape reality. But there’s no escaping reality. Whether reality is lines across my face or reality-checks at 34,000 feet in the air when I’m on my way to a meeting.
The reality check is this: Where am I? I’m a late 20-something. I’m creative. I’m single. I’m talented. I’m healthy. I’m successful. But where am I? Where is the real me? Where’s the driver of my drive? What defines me and confines me? How do I find answers and find release?
The answer: keep traveling. Vacation Barbie and I are ready to go.
When I was in college I dreamed of the day I would travel for my job. The day I would be a jet-setter and so important that I would need to be in multiple places (outside of my office) in a short period of time to attend meetings, finish important business or cover a breaking news story. I idolized the liberated career woman, the empowered female executive and the brave reporter on television, in movies and in real life. I never had one, but given my aspirations, I would have been the type of child with a Barbie doll in a business suit, carrying a briefcase.
Well, after living the reality, I want a vacation Barbie. And I want a vacation.
All of this travel (and more to the point, the point of the travel) has made me wonder: what it is that drives my drive? Why would I want a Barbie in a business suit? The word success comes to mind. But when I look inside, I think the saying – “the journey is more important than the destination” – is what my drive is all about. What drives my drive is excitement, seeing new places, meeting new people. What drives my drive is doing things that I love: writing and editing for social change.
While these things may “drive my drive,” I still wonder how far I’ve come. My frequent-flyer miles statement will quantify the journey in numbers. By how do I quantify the journey of my life? What have I learned about my drive?
In Brandi Carlisle’s song, The Story, the singer says:
“All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am.
So many stories of where I’ve been
And how I got to where I am.”
Well, that might not be a pretty picture – lines across my face. But there’s definitely some truth to that. Here’s a little more of what Brandi Carlisle has to say:
“But these stories don’t mean anything
When you’ve got no one to tell them to
It’s true – I was made for you.”
So, the lines are fine, as long as you aren’t the only one seeing them.
The lines of this song point to two things I’ve learned in my travels: There’s no escaping reality, i.e., lines across my face; and Tell your story.
I’m a writer, so telling the story isn’t much of a problem. Finding time to tell my story can be a problem.
There’s no escaping reality. I find excitement in what I don’t know or haven’t experienced in my current reality, so you could say that I like to escape reality. But there’s no escaping reality. Whether reality is lines across my face or reality-checks at 34,000 feet in the air when I’m on my way to a meeting.
The reality check is this: Where am I? I’m a late 20-something. I’m creative. I’m single. I’m talented. I’m healthy. I’m successful. But where am I? Where is the real me? Where’s the driver of my drive? What defines me and confines me? How do I find answers and find release?
The answer: keep traveling. Vacation Barbie and I are ready to go.
posted by barbara at 10:04 AM
0 comments
