I read constantly .... I have the type of job where I read for a large part of the day (and spend the rest of the time talking about the material read). I read two newspapers a day. I read a multitide of magazines - some fun and some serious. I always have several books on the go. Every evening I spend some time writing in a journal and then read (or dip into as I really think of it) anywhere from a few to many pages of 'inspirational' books. But you know, as much as I have always loved fiction, I absolutely can no longer read fiction. I try .... I read book reviews and purchase novels that really interest me. I start them ... eventually they sit, mostly unread on my table until I finally pack them away - embarassed I have neglected to pick them up again and finish them. I think I see every abandoned book as a failure.
Lately, the books I have been reading are travel books and memoirs written about lives lived in other countries or travels in other countries. This seems to satisfy, at least a bit, the overwhelming urge I have to take off to exotic places.
I have always loved to travel. It goes hand in hand with a sense of curiosity and love of learning. Travel satisfies both of those urges and inspires an interest in new things. It is impossible to take a trip - any trip - and come back without some new inspiration or interest. The last few years though I have been mainly returning to familiar places. Not that this is a bad thing ... when I go to either London or Barbados I feel I am going home. I could live in London and I have lived in Barbados. I love both places deeply. But it is time to branch out. I have vowed to myself that as of 2008, it is time to start traveling again and time to step out of the familiar.
I do have a trip to London in October .... planned and booked before the vow. Once I made this decison, I started researching. I research not because I have to have everything planned, but rather because it allows me to learn about places. I first thoght of South America - I definitely want to go there. But I somehow landed on Africa as my next destination. I'm having a lot of fun reading about different possibilities in Africa. The more I read, the more completely fascinated I become. I've been renting any movies I can find that are set in Africa ... just to watch the scenery. For the travel starved, movies are a good way to transport yourself for a bit.
Blogs are another way .... my friend Kelly is partly responsible for this latest urge to travel. I was lucky enough to be on a couple of Kelly's travelogue emails and of course read her blog entries. So, I also vow to start writing about the daily discoveries and meanderings the my reading takes me through. I hope to use the internet extensively in this.
I also plan to sit by the little stream near where I live that has become my favourite meditation spot and let the universe speak to me. That might sound flaky, but I find if I shut off some of the noise, the universe actually does speak. It might tell me where I need to go to find what I'm supposed to find.
So glad to get all these great updates from you...and learn of your plans of future journeys to new lands! Can't wait to follow along...
Posted by: Kelly | August 30, 2007 at 12:41 AM