Lessons of distance and duration

You can go a long way to get to home truths

One of the great things about travel is its ability to reveal new information - about the destination, the process, the people. In the slightly uncertain number of hours since I left Auckland on Wednesday, June 25th, I've come 9,841miles (16,481 km) and revealed at least three things about myself:

Revelation 1: I am much calmer and more tolerant than expected - where the object is a stranger, officialese, weather, geography, animals and even children. This is happy discovery

Revelation 2: the reverse applies to close associates, where I find myself to be excessively judgemental. and irritable. This is not so happy, and I need to work on it. Still cogitating on the approach. Suggestions welcome! Especially from associates.

Revelation 3: probably a cause of R2 above, my management of my Bipolar II disorder is not quite as effective as I would like. Or perhaps the travel experience has specific challenges. It's been rather unpleasant at times. However, I have managed it well enough to not be disabled, which is pleasing. Maybe I was a little overconfident.

Maybe these are not news to you, dear reader, but revelations to the humble writer.

What have you learned while traveling? How have your travel experiences revealed you to yourself?

Convenience - a little rant

What's the famous quote, about something being a good servant but a poor master?

Maybe it applies to everything. It certainly does to the idea of "convenience"

I have watched people, myself included, become so focused on our our entitlement to having things suit us and be easy, that we give second place to our compassion, our sense of perspective, our humility and our dignity.

I would never suggest that anything be made more difficult than necessary, but really people, how easy and 'catered-to' do we need to be? Especially if we want to think of ourselves as independent, healthy, intelligent adults? 

A couple of days ago I heard an obviously well-educated, prosperous man in his 50s berate a ferry ticket clerk for 10 minutes, because a boarding gate change meant he lost his place in the queue and he would have to wait what turned out to be 2 minutes longer.

Today's example was worse - on hearing of the plane crash in San Francisco (2 dead, 60+ injured, many rescue workers' lives endangered) all that one of my companions could think of was that her neighbor, flying out of SFO, might be delayed and have to wait around in the terminal.

What's this all about?

 Today's convenience phenomenon is largely created by the retail industry, especially fast food.  It is a marketing mindshift designed to make people more likely to purchase products, particularly the kinds of foods we are all coming to realise are not in our own best interests. You can't read the whole article, but take a look at this precis and think. Do a Google image search for the word "convenience" like I did, and see what images are associated.

Think about whether "convenience" has a higher value to you than compassion, perspective, independence, humility, dignity.

Here endeth etc. etc.

a little company in the studio/office

The world's politest cat:

• does not sit on the newspaper. 
• does not interfere with knitting
• does not get underfoot in the kitchen
• ignores human food
• waits patiently for his own serving

He does have a tiny weakness for ice-cream, and occasionally puts a prickly paw on my leg, just to remind me he'd like a pat.

Otherwise, a gently rumbling companion, a little camera-shy, somewhere nearby. Reminding me of the strength and charm of dignity and good manners.

How'd ya like them apples?

...better this time round.

Last time I came to New York I hated it. All in the mind! This time I started with contacts, a plan and a focus event. Of which, more later. Because if I'm to manage to blog every day of June, I'm not squandering topics.

New York is warm if not hot and more than a little sticky. Store air conditioning is welcome. They make the electricity cost back! The temperature is at that magic point that is warm enough to have people relaxed and summery, but not so hot that they are irritable. Even waiting in the 52nd St subway station for a train that never came, the crowd of people sweated calmly, struck up conversations, passed on the message that the Green line would be closed. I even heard strangers offering alternate directions. Everywhere I go, I hear the language of courtesy "Please" "Thankyou" "Excuse me" The rude New Yorker may be endangered, if not extinct.