Travelling Incessantly

I recall years back reading a story about a man whose wife had passed away and he decided to treat himself and spend his retirement savings flying first class around the world. He enjoyed it - at first, hence the premise of the story as it unfolds.  I don't remember the exact details except that he seems to lose his passport at one point, and is trapped in airline transit purgatory.  I want to say it's a Graham Greene short story, but I could be mistaken.

I also travel extensively for work, albeit not in first class.  And I have also passed the threshold where I think this is fun.  It's alway interesting to me when discussing the topic with people that don't travel, or don't travel much and are enthralled with the idea that I might work in Europe one week, at home the next and in Asia the following week.  It's just a bus, though a comfortable one.  If we lost of our sense of global proportion and had friends, family or colleagues that had to commute to work and it took 8-18 hours to get to work on a bus, we'd pity them.  Yes, on the bus we're catered, and yes there are movies and quasi comfy chairs...but it's still public transport and as small as our world is - it takes time.  Saturday evening (or even Fridays at times) departures for work the next week are the norm.  Believe me when I say - it gets old, fast.

But I'm old enough to know that it isn't routine either.  I had a taste of routine recently, a sober reminder of daily commuting and the joys it represents.. "Did I sit next to this person yesterday? - were they they one making smells?  Was it me? Why can't I stay awake on this train? Why is it always busy on this road..  So, the short answer is that the grass isn't greener, it's just different.  And different grass is admittedly interesting at times.

So I'm writing this 7-8 miles above the planet's surface, speeding (relatively) towards Australia where I'll work for the next few weeks.  Wow, hugely exotic, incredible, always wanted to go there...but in reality its just another business park, just another office and just another cafeteria.  We won't see kangaroos, Crocodile Dundee or drink Fosters during the day..I probably won't even say 'crikey'.  But it is different and a fun place to visit.  And sometimes that's enough to keep work fresh.

That in a nutshell is what it is all about - keeping it fresh.  The avoidance of routine should be the goal.  To the professional golfer or pilot or even the Cirque du Soleil performance artist -  to them the repetition in the work must make it seem mundane too.  So let's pledge to all keep it fresh.  And I'll go look for a beer.