Life of a Nomad – It’s time to go.

Monday, April 19th, 2010 in: News, Travel

This is my last post from Japan. It’s not a narrative, so it’ll be brief.

Sometimes the life of a nomad is difficult; I’m already ready to throw out half of my things, and I still think I would have too much. One of my goals is to find out just what is really necessary, and get rid of the rest of the bulk. Kaoru’s take on travel is that all she needs is money and a passport; everything else can be acquired on the road. I’m starting to appreciate that more and more. Hauling my life around is already starting to take it’s toll, and not just on my back. Of course, there are a few things I can’t or don’t want to discard that isn’t what travelers normally carry and isn’t as available everywhere I go, like my slackline and yo-yos. The other stuff… sleeping pad and pillow, all my warm clothes and shoes… I wonder how much of it I really need. But then again it’s not just a matter of what I’m using at the time, but when the time comes that I do need these things I’ll be really glad I brought them with me. Hopefully that day will come sooner than later.

Traveling has an innate sense of impermanence built into it; no matter how long I stay somewhere, it’s always temporary, and even if I don’t really want to, I eventually have to move on. Hopefully I have some sort of impact on the people I cross paths with; leaving my footprints in the lives of others. But right now I can only stay for a little while. I can’t make a home anywhere, or in anyone’s heart for that matter. I’ve chosen this path for myself, and I have to see it through so I can understand why I feel compelled to move, why I can’t settle, why this restlessness is pushing me off the map. People often ask me whether I miss home. No, I don’t miss places. I miss you. Even if I haven’t left yet, it will happen at some point. The only way I can avoid getting lonely is to carry you in my heart. This isn’t emotional baggage, because thinking of you helps set me free. And yet, I’m tired of goodbyes. Even a “see-you-later” is wearing on the soul. Because “later,” it seems, is always an understatement.

Sometimes, life is difficult.

---