Why distance gives you perspective …

"... it shouldn’t take 
new places 
to bring me 
back to myself 
I shouldn’t always              
be lost 
in order 
to be found ..."

By the time you read this, I will be in another country, embarking on a long trip that will take me across the North Sea and the Atlantic in a camper van crammed with provisions from home.  I will be excited and full of anticipation for the adventure that awaits. But as I sit here in my study, listening to the dawn chorus, my head is still full of lists of last-minute jobs, whilst internally I try to calm the butterflies in my stomach.  

There’s something about the lead up to a holiday that always feels a bit fraught. Packing the camper van invariably takes twice as long as expected and, without fail, something happens that seems to put the whole thing in jeopardy.  A family member might fall ill, we discover a mechanical fault or, suddenly, we can’t find the passports.  

When it comes to travel, I think folk are in one of two camps: there are those (like me) who start to pack well in advance and those (like you perhaps?) who leave it to the last minute. There’s no right or wrong is there? 

I already know that by the time I embark that boat, I’ll be calm, all the panic behind me.  I do love to travel!  I was 19 when I first travelled abroad and will never forget the smell of Mediterranean air and the rush of heat as I emerged from the plane.  I met people on that trip that have remained friends.  I saw and experienced things that shaped me as a young woman, helping me navigate life at university and beyond. 

Of course, life gets in the way and before you know it, your world becomes a whole lot bigger and more complicated.  In a life that is increasingly busy and stressful, holidays become a haven.  That has certainly been my experience.  Over the years, as I gained more responsibility both personally and professionally, my summer break was extended from two weeks to three. Simply put, it took most of the first week to unwind and relax.  Does that sound crazy or, dare I say it, familiar?  

When life gets too hectic and you need to slow it down, it helps to travel.  Of course, in theory, there’s no reason why you can’t take time out at home.  No reason at all right?  Except there’s that thing you’ve been meaning to do that, when you stop, you can’t ignore.  Is it the garden that needs sorting, or a room you’ve been meaning to decorate?  It’s so tempting to fill so-called time off with long-neglected jobs. 

But travel is so much more than just a distraction: it’s an opportunity to see life from a different perspective; broaden your horizons; meet new people; spend time enjoying the company of loved ones. And if you’ve been a bit lost, you might just find yourself again; I know I have.

I wrote this poem, not at the beginning of a holiday, but as it was ending.  I had spent three amazing weeks in Norway and the poem came to me as I was packing my bag to return home.  I’d arrived exhausted, and was returning refreshed.  This was my typical pattern, to work like a demon and use a holiday to recover.  It’s a strategy many adopt.  Just this week, a friend told me that she’s “clinging on at work”, desperate for the break she has booked at the end of the month.  

This will be my first overseas trip since retirement in the spring; it doesn’t have to be the remedy that so many other trips have been.  I’m excited to explore how it will help shape the next chapter of my life. 

I hope you’ve had the opportunity to take a holiday this summer; if not, my wish for you is that you can create some genuine time off for yourself in the midst of what I bet is a busy life.