Just before I left home to go traveling I knew that it would be some time before I saw my mother again, at least in person, and so we spent a lot of time together in the days and weeks before I left. Something which she said to me during a conversation which we had about experiences and adventure was ‘lean way in’ and it really stuck with me.
At that moment I realized that travel was pretty much like looking into a big dark hole ,a dark hole where you know there are bad things which could happen but where there is also the possibility of having the most incredible experiences of your life, and that idea of leaning way in, rather than a blind jump, that is something which I have always kept in mind whenever I was presented with certain activities or adventures on the road.
Risky
I have met those who jumped into this world, those who decided that they didn’t give a damn and that they would just dive in with both feet. The thing that I have noticed most about these people is that very quickly they are traveling for the risk rather than the experience, and they end up either having an amazing time with amazing memories, or having to go home because things have gone wrong.
Cautious
Whenever I meet the cautious traveler on the road I get a sense that they may be out there to get rid of this cautiousness and to be a little more gung-ho, sadly most which I have seen are not ready to take the plunge and add a bit of risk to their life, and that results in them losing so much of what travel is all about, because risk is very much part and parcel of the travelers life.
Balance
For me, traveling is about balance, it is about being crazy and taking huge risks, and then enjoying them pay off, it is also about saying no to a certain experience and allowing yourself to be responsible and evaluate risk in a smart way. This is the balance which I have always and which I will always endeavor to find, and it is not easy to do.
One thing that is for sure however is that when you do go traveling those words of my mother were extremely well thought out and apply to everyone, lean way in. Are there any phrases or sayings which you have picked up on the road that you think are apparent in your life? Feel free to share them with us in the comments below.
