Going On A Journey

Just recently I read that Airbus is closing their production of A380s. That's sad but business is business. You can't continue if there's no demand for your product. That's life. Brutal. Anyway, I'm glad to have flown on the A380s, hmm, let me count ... maybe four times. It's twice on Emirates and twice on Malaysia Airlines. 

To go on a journey is as easy as putting on your shoes and going out the door. It's just as Bilbo Baggins said to Frodo, "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door ... You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no telling where you might be swept off to." 

Well, last year I was swept off to Japan! But that wasn't as simple as putting on your favourite sneakers and going out the door! There was a lot of thinking, discussing (with my wife), and planning. It's about where do we want to go, what do we want to see, how much does it cost, how long do we need in one place, and so on and on. Researching and planning for the journey was quite fun in that sense. It's an exercise in bringing out what we like and dislike, sorting our priorities and narrowing down our options, and finalising our personalised traveller's schedule. 

Some people would probably think it too tedious to plan in detail and prefer to do it Bilbo's way. I prefer some level of planning and then when we get there, we adjust, adapt and improvise as the situations arise. 

Travelling is a fun and amazing way to see and explore new cultures. Life is made up of experiences. Life is a journey too. 

Come to think of it, our daily lives are journeys too. Perhaps these are journeys that do not bring us to the other side of the globe, but nonetheless they are journeys. And they too can be journeys of exploration, of learning, or seeing everything and everyone with a freshness, like for the first time. Wouldn't that be such a wide-eyed wonder of a journey!

Well, I'm reminded to relook at my daily life with fresh eyes, and re-discover my world, the faces and the places around me. Off on a journey, so to speak. The discovery begins with me.