We May Never Pass This Way Again

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:35:44 -0800

“And all the secrets of the Universe, whisper in our ears
And all the years will come and go, take us up, always up.
We may never pass this way again…We may never pass this way again.”

- James Seals and Dash Crofts (1973)

Once you start travelling with your kids you will never look at the same place the same way ever again.

I just returned from a fab solo journey to San Francisco. It was like an expedition into the unknown! I have hung out in San Francisco hundreds of times: first as a child; then I lived there after college; acted in a musical there; visited my friends there; took meetings there; brought my stepsons there; brought my preschooler there, etc.

On this recent trip I joined a group of friends who arrived from various parts of the globe to commemorate the one-year passing my best friend Dorothea…an avid traveller and bon vivant. (see: The Gift Of Travel) I had been avoiding San Francisco since her passing because the city held so many memories of her there. Why I thought that a bad thing I have no idea.

In fact, it was a joyous revelation to me that I spent a lot of my time thinking how much my travelling kid would have enjoyed the trip. The city is ripe with kid friendly stuff: cable cars, trams, boats, great food, etc. (See: SAN FRANCISCO).

I think that every travel-phillic pal I have could share an infinite amount of reasons they have for travelling and I am sure you have your own. One thing that I have discovered is that the birth of my son and the death of my friend have ‘added’ to my repertoire of reasons. The ‘secrets of the Universe’ truly ‘whisper in our ears’ when we travel. Things never stay the same. They morph.

We ‘may never pass this way again’…but if we do…we can rest assured that venture will bring fresh, amazing and perhaps startling discoveries and adventures to our lives.

“Like Columbus in the olden days, we must gather all our courage.
Sail our ships out on the open sea. Cast away our fears.
And all the years will come and go, and take us up, always up.
We may never pass this way again
We may never pass this way again.
We may never pass this way again.”

Travel Magic

Wed, 6 Feb 2008 12:32:12 -0800

“The Universe is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.”

- Eden Phillpotts

Busy, busy, busy…the whole world seems busy and unmanageable and then…when you least expect it…there comes a magical moment and the dust clears and you feel whole and happy once more.

The image of my son in full wizard regalia in front of a ‘real’ castle in Italy took my breath away. Not just ‘cuz it was cool, but because it was really magical. The moment was enchanting and it made me stop and realize how thankful I was for him in my life. That innocence. His belief in true magic and the renewal in mine.

Travel is a doorway into the ‘magical’ realm. It is, like the wardrobe in “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe”, a portal into the unknown. Even places that I have been to before become new and remarkable through the eyes and the ears of my son who invites me into ‘his’ travel world each and every time we set foot outside our home. The way he tore through the Jardins Du Luxembourg like a dog let off of a leash; the way he touched the hands of ‘Chip’ and ‘Dale’ at Disneyland; the way his wizard cape caught the wind as he dashed through the cobblestoned streets of a medieval village in Italy and the way his little train loving heart exploded with sheer joy and enthusiasm just taking The Tube from the airport in London.

He’s a ‘think different’ guy and I am his happy companion.

After a ‘magical’ day in Rome I was feeling full of the wonder of having paid pilgrimage to the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. My son’s report to his Dad went like this: “Dad – we had a fun day. We ate ice cream called gelato, saw a cool building with a hole in the roof and we threw some money in a big fountain.”

Like I said, it is his portal we walk through every time we leave the comfort of our living room. It is my new reason to travel.