A Sense of Arrival

Glancing over the advertising in the newspapers and through the windows of the local travel agents the mind is flooded with offers and bargains. Exotic locations for cut prices, last minute special deals or once in a lifetime offers. By road, rail or air we can cocoon ourselves in sleek metal vehicles to carry us at high speed to those special places. You can go anywhere for the right price and be whisked away like royalty or shoe horned into budget class for a few uncomfortable hours.

I have often wondered if some of the people of this island have lost the meaning of travel and journeys. The miles we travel are eclipsed by the perceived destination, and monuments and countries become a check list of must see places. To travel by your own means and power can change your perspective of the world. A geographical destination becomes a pleasing stopping point towards the end of a valuable journey and is part of the new sights and experiences gained along the way. But for me it is the journey that helps to tune us into our surroundings and offers insights as to the evolution of land, history, geography, biology and botany. It draws together as a whole spirit and speaks to the soul as a wanderer passes by. I have found my destination is not the monument or the grand vista from high on a hill side. It is those moments when you rest. Memories and experiences flood back to you as you sit by a fire or unwind to ease the aching limbs earned during the miles. The destination is the assembly of experiences, sights and emotions as mind and body finds rest, and the spirit draws it together as a whole.

Travel well and enjoy the peace before the wanderers sleep. With the healing of body and mind, the tracks of your next journey can carry the spirit to new highs. Perhaps we will meet on the trail and share a tale or two which will go far deeper than the holiday snap shot.