Dreams, and following them
Something funny happened a few days ago. I was tidying up my desk- something I find myself having to do every week with the books and papers cluttering it up- and I found an old diary/ring folio which I’ve had since 2006. I only know I’ve had it for that long because it has ‘Malaysia Airports’ printed in the inside cover with ‘2006’ beneath it.
This is my trip notebook- this is where I write very general notes on every single trip I’ve taken since 2006 before they’re finalised and condensed into individual trip notebooks.
On the first page, I’ve got ‘leave for 2006‘ written down, followed by :
Feb/March- Cambodia?
May-June–>Tibet??
Mongolia: best: May/Oct. Note: Naadam is in July. But July + Aug: very wet. Best for Gobi: June/Sept.
This is followed by notes on flights, hotels and itineraries.
Then in April 2007, there are more notes on Cambodia, more firmed up this time, with booking reference numbers.
And so on and so forth. There are notes on ‘Laos Feb 2008- Luang Prabang‘, ‘Hong Kong-Chengdu overland‘, there are scribblings on ‘Silk Road May 2008, Islamabad-Beijing‘, packing lists (‘wipes, swiss army knife, torchlight, a nice dress- just in case‘) and more notes on the number of days I have for leave.
Then I found my latest entries, written sometime in late 2011.
‘2012. The Plan’, it read.
1. Fly to Moscow
2. Moscow–>Irkutsk–>UB–>Beijing.
Option:
3. Fly back from Beijing.
4. Train Beijing–>KL!
Yes, teacher, I have horrible handwriting.
No. 4 is exactly what I did, although in the end I flew to St Petersburg.
What followed next were jottings on train routes and train numbers and ticket prices: Moscow–> Irkutsk- Rossiya, #2. Dep Moscow 2345 (D1). Arr IR 0730 (D5)
And then it hit me.
Wait, I’ve done this trip. I actually did this. I wrote this last year.
I got a wee bit emotional after that. It hasn’t always been easy. I am small and can be lifted very easily and tossed by the roadside by most men. I am a complete coward when I travel and get the shivers before I begin any journey, although it is something that I want to do. But when you realise you’ve done something you’ve been dreaming of for so long, whatever it is, there’s nothing else to do but reach behind and give yourself a pat on the back.
The world clearly did not end on December 21. All it signalled was a new beginning and possibilities for new beginnings, whatever they may be. If you haven’t realised that by now, ask someone to kick/slap/punch you.
Nothing is impossible if you want it really badly and work towards it. The universe will conspire to make it happen.
But it kind of starts with you.
© 2012 – 2014, Anis. All rights reserved.
😀 Pat pat pat (That’s me, patting you on the back.) Nice article. I remember how in practice in 2003 your one wish was to travel all over the world and write about it in your day job as a travel writer. You’ve done it!! Well done, baaaabe!!!!
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