Off to a Place

Image of a woman's feet and a suitcase

Give those feet new grounds to cover/ beautyintheeveryday.com

Far or near, it is the act of leaving that decides our destinations. It is the resolve to get up and go, hit the road and on to catch the next bus, train or plane. Or, simply to walk or to drive, away and yonder. It could be a short or long cruise, depends.

 

The departure may mean a going away for good. It could also be a temporary journey, with an earnest promise to to return – at some hour, some day, some year.  Revolver, as they say in Spanish. To return, to make one full turn.

 

We could be touring on business, to return on the same evening. We could be travelling on some weekend errands, to visit a sick relative, perhaps? It could be a quick get-away, to a beach in the countrysides, enough to rest and to laze around, before the usual Monday grind.

 

kartong larawan ng isang eroplanong may mga pasahero

Travelling usually gives us new perspectives to our situations/ 02varvara.wordpress.com

We could be leaving for an important conference, one that lasts several days. Or, our going-away could be for a week, to iron out a dispute or to close a deal. It could be for a month, to finally enjoy the awaited vacation, a sojourn abroad. It could as well be for years, to try and fit into a new life. To improve one’s chances, as people often say.

 

Our going away could be propelled by someone or something being after us, or, us being after someone or something. A relationship gone sour, a dream to chase or a longed-for reunion. It could be a mission to put back the missing parts, to pave the healing process or to close the gap, between and among people who’ve been years, distance and time apart.

 

To forget what hurts, to break new grounds or to find new fate, going away could serve one or all. To start anew or simply, to allow oneself to grow. Travel enables us to turn over a new leaf, as the saying goes. In another setting, positively. Why, it seems an excursion to a new place permits another view. The next turn may not be the one we’ve been used to, but leaving helps us proceed and do.

 

larawan ng bagong tren ng PNR, Manila patungong Bicol

A new adventure awaits us with a new turn/ liveinthephilippines.com

 

A trip maybe planned or hurried, with a fixed destination or no. It maybe solitary or with a companion. It could be a flight in the wee hours or a happy excursion at the break of day. It could be an expedition borne by necessity or driven by mere fancy. Could as well be a sojourn prearranged days and months ahead, or, simply a meandering – a leisure trip with no clear intent.

 

Sometimes, we go away with a chaotic mind. Sometimes, with a clear head and a determined heart.  Whether accompanied to the platform or to the station by our dear ones, or, embarking on a solo trek,  we depart in pursuit of new grounds. To leave, to go, to live – to a world unknown and unexplored.

 

 

Leaving surely makes us uncomfortable at first. Heck, it may even hurt. We are so intimate with the familiar – the nooks and the corners, the warm relationships and the predictable routines. Oh,  the sheer consistency lulls us into staying where we are. Do we want to be disturbed? Shall we go on away and afar to disturb other places, other people? Say, we’re so used to our lives spinning in the same old rhythm and manner.

 

kartong larawan ng isang babaeng nagpapasya

Days when we consider breaking the monotony/ everydaypeoplecartoons.com

But just the same, going away may just be the excuse we’ve been waiting for, the break we’ve been pining for and the chance we’ve been wishing for. Might it not expand horizons, broaden narrow views or dust off rusting beliefs? We’ll never know, until we try. In the meantime, it might just be the short-term remedy for all the headaches and confusions from all the usual spinning.

 

When taking the first few steps of our journey, we usually give the familiar place a quiet embrace or a warm, enveloping stare. There’s that chance, we may never pass this way again.

 

For better or for worse, with a light or heavy heart, we sling that backpack, lift that duffel bag or pull that suitcase and off, we go.

 

We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”

– T.S. Eliot
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/t/t_s_eliot_4.html

 

9 comments on “Off to a Place

  1. nadia says:

    Very well-written post! There are a thousand and one reasons why we travel to a different place temporarily or move on permanently, but I think it’s mainly because it is human nature to seek new places and adventures (except for a few who’d probably feel safe in the their own familiar surroundings and routine).

    • hey, a thousand thanks, nadia. hullow! glad to see you back, you don’t know how happy your letter made me. it’s like a going-away gift of sort 🙂

      yes, wonderlust, is that how they call it? ^^ recently, i regret not having availed those junkets (haha, junkets) extended to me. i have toured many places (relatively) within the country and yes, it’s always good to come across new landscapes, new people and new ways of living.

      i usually try to go see the local market and if there’s still time and company, i visit the museum of the place. the market’s usually abuzz and interesting. the museum, well… educational. hehe… ^^

      good luck with your pilgrimage. i expect to hear about your trip as i hope to be able to write you about mine, ahaha. you two take care 🙂 🙂

  2. renxkyoko says:

    Leaving a place, no matter how long our stay is, always gives us a feeling of sadness. Oh, but of course, we don’t feel sad to leave McDonald’s after a hearty meal, lol.

    Cheers !

  3. hello, ren,

    glad you dropped by again. ay, no sadness when it’s about a mcdo meal – before, during and after, lol.

    but leaving other places, yes, it makes us sad for some reason, ‘no? i wrote about some such sentiment (haha) in a post in my old site that you used to visit, ahaha. ^^

    hope your week’s going along fine, MBB girl. Cheers to you, too! 🙂

  4. aninipot says:

    I was constantly on the road with my backpack and it never crossed my mind that once i put my rubber shoes on i was leaving. In fact i thought it was just a routine.

    Perhaps what i did is not leaving, maybe this is my journey on literally.

    • ahaha, it’s in your job spec to travel and do site visits, anini.:) maybe you’re thinking, you’re just going to the office, hmnn…i wouldn’t wonder if you do think it’s all in a day’s work, ahaha.

      hope things are going well for you, the journeys and all… ^^ keep safe! 🙂

  5. Best thing about travelling is coming home.

  6. […] Off to a Place – written because I was excited about the prospect of a first long-distance train ride South; an epic fail, I took the plane, haha. […]

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