Observations

May 3rd

An old, abandoned and crumbling church in Vilnius.

Some observations about myself from the last few days:

• I love to travel, see unknown places and rediscover or remind myself of the places I already visited previously.
• More travel is something that I will work towards and something that will make my work worthwhile to have funds for more travel.
• I am not getting any younger and I need to rethink my travel strategy to avoid overtiring myself, but still allow that I am able to see all I want to. Walking 25 kilometers a day might not be the best idea for me anymore.
• I want to make a decision about the mode of travel for the future — traveling by car gives me more control and flexibility, but is very expensive for the longer trips. Using mass transport is cheaper, but takes away a control aspect from me.
• Planning the trip is crucial to good travel, but I want to allow myself some spontaneity — even if that means skipping something from the must-see list.
• Coming home is as fun as going for a trip — yesterday it took me about an hour to descant after arriving back home and when I finally sat down in my chair, the wave of happiness and contentment just flooded my mind (and special mention to my bed — there is no bed in any hotel in the world that is as comfortable as mine).
• My power of observation is very important to me, but some questions about it appeared in my mind after the trip. The directional observation for me still works very well, but the analytical observation does not so much. I do have preconceived ideas about places and people, and I still try to adjust what I see to what is already in my mind. I occasionally have problems meshing what is in front of me with my biased ideas. Good thing that I am aware of this and can work on it in the future.
• I want to go back to study geography more in-depth than I do now. The problem is — when and where will I find more time to do it? And there is also a reminder for me — geography was always my favorite subject in school, it still is a fun and always interesting subject now, and it still gives me pleasure to study. So, why I haven’t pursued it professionally? Is it too late now?
• Spontaneous travel is, I am sure, a fun activity for some, but it doesn’t work for me. I need to have a set plan with potential alternatives and backup options. And that can be done well in advance of any travel — local or further away.
• Why did I take hundreds of photos on my travels last weekend? Will I ever go back to watch them? Or is it something that I do without thinking, as just something that people do? Or is it just proof of me having fun to be shown to others — almost like I need to prove something to someone else? Why I still cannot concentrate on myself only?

And in conclusion, there will be more travel in my life. I will arrange my work schedule to maximize all the potential long weekends to be used for travel. I know I need it, and it makes me happy, so why not make it a priority activity? And traveling is the surest way to have fun in my life.