Today is my mother’s first trip by herself. Armed with a plane ticket and hotel name, she will be heading to lovely Boston to (hopefully) explore the city by her lonesome. Her first choice was any destination with a beach. She settled with my recommendation. I can’t help but think she’s less than thrilled.
This trip has been a long time coming. For the past 5 years, I have nearly begged her to travel. I want her to experience the inner peace that comes from seeing the world. I want her to know how surprising and wonderful Earth truly is. I don’t think this starts with a beach. Beaches are for people who don’t want to be alone, and you can never adequately experience and appreciate the world if you’re solely focused on not being alone.
I have this theory that people create activities to mask their awkwardness of not having family and friends by their side. They gravitate toward socially acceptable aloneness. A man standing alone in a field is suspicious. If he’s smoking a cigarette or walking a dog, suddenly he has a purpose. Sitting on a sidewalk for hours is business of the homeless, so people go to beaches to sunbathe and loiter. Suddenly, the same activity is an American pastime. If you truly want to feel freedom, learn to be happy alone anywhere in the world.
I once met a girl that traveled to Ireland by herself. She told me that she waited for her friends to save money to go with her, but after realizing they weren’t really serious about it, she decided to go by herself. She had broken up with her boyfriend and had found some inner motivation fight back against a world that made her feel awkward for not having a date to go see a movie. She had a self-date planned. She was going to take herself out to a dinner and a movie. Even when we offered to go with her, she refused. Going with other people would mean she chickened out.
Dear Mom:
Don’t be a chicken. Feel empowered and make the world your home. The world is filled with insanely random happenings and truly heartwarming encounters. You’ll never experience them from inside a hotel room. If it rains, make it the most epic rainstorm ever.
Melissa
This trip has been a long time coming. For the past 5 years, I have nearly begged her to travel. I want her to experience the inner peace that comes from seeing the world. I want her to know how surprising and wonderful Earth truly is. I don’t think this starts with a beach. Beaches are for people who don’t want to be alone, and you can never adequately experience and appreciate the world if you’re solely focused on not being alone.
I have this theory that people create activities to mask their awkwardness of not having family and friends by their side. They gravitate toward socially acceptable aloneness. A man standing alone in a field is suspicious. If he’s smoking a cigarette or walking a dog, suddenly he has a purpose. Sitting on a sidewalk for hours is business of the homeless, so people go to beaches to sunbathe and loiter. Suddenly, the same activity is an American pastime. If you truly want to feel freedom, learn to be happy alone anywhere in the world.
I once met a girl that traveled to Ireland by herself. She told me that she waited for her friends to save money to go with her, but after realizing they weren’t really serious about it, she decided to go by herself. She had broken up with her boyfriend and had found some inner motivation fight back against a world that made her feel awkward for not having a date to go see a movie. She had a self-date planned. She was going to take herself out to a dinner and a movie. Even when we offered to go with her, she refused. Going with other people would mean she chickened out.
Dear Mom:
Don’t be a chicken. Feel empowered and make the world your home. The world is filled with insanely random happenings and truly heartwarming encounters. You’ll never experience them from inside a hotel room. If it rains, make it the most epic rainstorm ever.
Melissa
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