During these past few months, I've been discovering some interesting aspects of the aging process. It has to do with the preparations we, or at least I, have experienced while at the age of 59, "getting my ducks in a row" so I can take another extended trip to places far away from home.
When I first had the tools to travel (time and money), I was in my late 20's and made my way to Europe for 6 weeks of exploring the world outside my relatively small peripheral vision. I recall that I had few tasks to do in preparation for that adventure: paying my apartment rent a couple of months in advance, over-paying my utilities so they would not get in arrears and be cut off, having my mail held at the post office and deciding what sized backpack to buy and what to fill it with. Oh yeah, there was the hour I spent writing on a small piece of paper, the addresses of folks to whom I'd want to send post cards. Add the purchase of a dozen rolls of film and I was ready to go.
Not much to do there, huh?
Moving ahead one year, I found myself in the unique position of having the opportunity to live in Europe for a whole year! What extra perparations did I have? Not much, just selecting a few extra shirts, underwear and a sport coat. All items now fit into my trusty backpack (from the previous year's adventure) and a second day pack. A few other tasks included forwarding some magazine subscriptions to friends who would enjoy them, closing a checking account and selling a bunch of stuff at a flea market.
Stay tuned: My next entry will jump ahead 30 years and explore the type and quantity of things I am finding necessary to do for this upcoming voyage of discovery.
Howdy. I believe this blog is going to provide me with a simple pleasure. It is going to be used to write notes during my European trip in the summer of 2006. Read 'em if you want but the mere act of "publishing" my ideas about this world and my own experiences is thrilling to me - at least at the beginning. We'll see how I do over time.
If you choose to tag along on this physical and (hopefully) semi/quasi-intellectual journey, be prepared to experience the possibility of alternating acceleration and deceleration - similar to when a car is about to run out of gas. Whiplash is a distinct possibility.
What you should know from the beginning is that this form of writing is a unique experience for me, a guy who has spent most of his life writing computer programs, specifications for computer applications, technical procedures and policies for government entities.
You have been forewarned.
So you may ask, what is this guy about to do? Well, in short, I'm going to try to recapture some slivers of my youth and repeat a lengthy trip to Europe, first experienced when I was 28 (I'm 59 now). Actually, I'm going to re-explore some unique places and emotions I visited half my life ago and along the way, find some new ones. I will be paying particular attention to how the wisdom of age will affect my impressions of both new and repeated experiences and places.
Age is not the only variable thrown into the equation. In contrast with my previous trips to Europe, I now have some folding money and several credit cards in my pocket so if I want to try a local menu delicacy in any town, hell, in EVERY town, I can do so.
If you are young, maybe this will afford you the opportunity to peek over the hill at things awaiting you in your life. If you are not-so-young, you might see some things about yourself from a different perspective.
I'm making no promises.Stay tuned: My next installment will probably address the amount of work it used to take to prepare for a trip - when I was half my age.
