Travelling: the homily

Here's a little piece we wrote for our kids. For a long time, we have gone to some lengths to make them travellers. They're great people, and if they're like us, travel is the single most expansive thing we can offer. They know this. Travel has been a gift we have given on big occasions, and travel is one of the things we share when we gather as a family. But, of course, parents have to hammer these ideas home. We recently wrote to our kids to tell them about our travels in a special way. We think you might enjoy eavesdropping on the "conversation", so here it is:

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Okay, fasten your belt for a little bit of Dad & Karin's philosophy. Trying to pass this along because we think it matters.

As you know, we travel, and we've tried to pass our passion along to you for travel. Your graduation gifts weren't accidents, you know. And you have responded. My goodness, you have travelled! Even given your considerable challenges, Erin, you guys have too (having a young family and travel are the definition of anathema).

So, here's what we wanted to mention: a simple but profound lesson. Travel isn't about going places. It's about connecting. It's meeting people who live there and getting to understand their culture. It's:

knowing where to get a free newspaper,
expecting to see the sunrise out your back window when you get up to pee at 5:00 am,
finding the best fish 'n' chips (it's a noble quest -- our vote is the Great Wall in Dunedin),
attending (and enjoying) a local Agriculture and Pastoral show--no, two,
finding a favourite pub for happy hour and going there four times,
discovering a farmer's market and buying something you'd never thought you'd eat,
re-wiring a fuse when you don't know how fuses work in that country,
experimenting with meat pies and hating them,
hiking in places often enough that they look familiar,
weeping when a place you deeply love is crushed by an earthquake,
sheep -- sweet Jesus -- thousands of pictures of sheep,
being away when bad things happen to people you love,
finding a barber and going to him more than once, even though he's not that great,
having dinner with a nun, a Ukrainian, and a sheep shearer ( I know that joke too),
finding a place where only people who live there can find,
accepting that local theatres actually assign seats for movies when you're the only ones in the theatre,
tearing up when you leave new and renewed friends to go somewhere else,
inviting dozens of people to visit you, and hoping they really do,
leaving a part of your soul in the place you've lived,
and licorice. It's always about licorice.

All we are saying is that travelling is different from vacationing. It really is. It is a different way of thinking. And it is way more rewarding, and it takes time. We know you don't have a lot of opportunities right now in your lives for this. But we want to (re)plant the seed. Look for the opportunities, and when you find them, jump at the chance. It will make all the difference.

Here endeth the homily.

Love,
Dad and Karin