“We’re all going to die, all of us, what a circus! That alone should make us love each other but it doesn’t. We are terrorized and flattened by trivialities, we are eaten up by nothing.” ~ Charles Bukowski
I’ve been thinking about death a lot lately, as the older I get, the more I appear to be surrounded by it. People are vanishing from my life.
Death has reminded me just how precious life is, and – as I’ve touched on another post here – that we’re all travellers by default, whether we like it or not. We’re all constantly moving, changing.
Travel – “to proceed or advance in any way.” – the Macquarie Dictionary.
Whether you’re sitting on the couch watching reruns of Red Dwarf, scoffing Aldi potato chips; sweating with rhumba fever on a Cuban dance floor; or sitting in a garden, riddled with cancer, enjoying the last few moments of this incredible journey – you’re going forward, and there’s only so much time.
My partner’s grandfather, Boob, he’s cool. He drives around with flags attached to his car so that he doesn’t lose it when he parks. He wears T-shirts with blinking lights, he dances, he smiles. He’s currently dying. I know it happens all the time, everywhere and it just is. Boob is old. He has been very lucky. But to not see the mountains again, the sun, the trees…..
Wander outside (even just down the road). Take a risk. Be brave. Give your senses the justice they deserve, for they are screaming for adventure, and they’re tired of Red Dwarf and Aldi chips. There is so much colour in the world, so much to see and do.
The clock is ticking…
“See that the whole existence is celebrating”….”the rivers and the oceans are wild, and everywhere there is fun, everywhere there is joy and delight. Watch existence, listen to the existence and become part of it.” ~ Osho.
Lately I’ve been thinking these thoughts, wishing I was doing this. Although I’m working towards it, chipping away. In the meantime, I’m planning journeys to Cape Tribulation and Cairns to see old friends. Then to Hinchinbrook Island – a wild and wonderful place that’s the largest island national park in Australia and the largest island on the Great Barrier Reef.
I’m not quite sure how I’m going to pull it off yet. But I will, I have to.
Hope to see you there…
I turn 34 in a few days … while I’m still relatively young, it’s reminding me that the clock is ticking, and it heightens my urgency. Funny how aging can be your best friend in this way!
Hi Hans,
Yeah, ageing is a good motivator (or at least it should be). Although if I were to live forever, I expect I’d still travel as early and as often.
Thanks for stopping in.