Cruising Past Seventy: The Inner Journeys: It’s Not Only the Destination. It’s Even More than the Journey. It’s Reliving the Story.

Thursday, May 23, 2019

It’s Not Only the Destination. It’s Even More than the Journey. It’s Reliving the Story.



How many times have we heard or even said the maxim, “It’s not the destination; it’s the journey!”? Well, let me just add to that well-loved thought. It’s true that it is not only the destination. But I think it is even more than the journey. I believe it’s being able to relive the story, many many times after.

Therein lies the beauty of being a storyteller. And the retelling can be by speaking, uttering the words with the nonverbals that accentuate them. However, I prefer to put those words silently on paper. Yes, after my retirement, besides becoming a wanderer and a wife, I have also become a writer.

Still, the road to becoming one has been fraught with difficulties.

First of all, I come from the world of left brains. From a degree in BS Mathematics and a career in the business world of computers, it was hard trying to awaken the right half of my brain. I had been writing proofs of theorems and hypotheses or business project proposals and reports. Theses and dissertations in my master's and doctor's programs did not help either. My first book Carolina: Cruising to an American Dream came about only as a compilation of the posts I kept in a blog as we RVed across America.  

The other the problem I have is this: English is not my native tongue. I was born in the slums of Manila. I got a great education through the Philippine public school system in elementary and two scholarships in high school, and college. Besides, Tagalog has a very foreign syntax as compared to English. My husband, the one who edited my early writings used to return pages I wrote almost black because of erasures and revisions.

My writing has improved over time. After all, I have been writing for nine years now. But I still do not have the flair for the idiomatic, local American English, that which is spoken in the streets, in homes, in the offices of America. That is why I have the TV on the whole day so I can imbibe by hearing. Unfortunately, it drives Bill to his office. Actually, I have an office. I just don’t use it and prefer to stay in a more expansive living room. That’s why Bill is thinking of putting an Arizona room. But that is TMI.

Now, I want to express my innermost feelings and thoughts, even if it makes me vulnerable. There is so much I want to share from our exploration of the world. And my time here is ever becoming shorter and shorter. It is good that the hours we spend on the road has also become less, giving me more time to wonder about our wanderings, to think about insights gained from those trips, and share the lessons learned so that they might be of help to others, too.  

In other words, I now also want to write about the other not so obvious journey, the inner one. Since shifting gears, around my turning seventy, I have created thirty-two travel essays and an equal number of travel stories. I love it. It leads me right on to the direction for my second book which will compile the best-loved of them. It is tentatively titled: Carolina: Cruising Past 70. 

By the time I am done with Cruising Past 70 and have shifted to the last phase, Cruising to the End, I would not only have the outer journeys to relive. I will also have lessons and insights to refine and reshare. By that time, I can picture Bill and me, smiling and with hands clasped, reliving each one, whiling our hours away in our “rocking” chairs or maybe still traveling...from our “armchairs.”

68 comments:

  1. Nice article Carol .BTW, I rarely have "corrections" anymore, just a FEW (very few) ideas. But are you sure your new topic will cover 30 years?

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  2. You know, you're absolutely right. I always thought it was the journey, rather than the destination. But I've never even thought of the story telling element that goes beyond those two things.

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    1. I like all 3. As a matter of fact, I like a 4th: planning!

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  3. Wonderful article! We will be linking to this particularly great article on our website.
    Keep up the good writing.

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  4. After reading your post, it does makes me think how I wish to do the similar thing when I decided to retire. I am glad that my partner is very supportive of my writings and we travel together always. I can't wait to read your blog sharing that you finally finished your book.

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    1. Many thanks for your kind words! Probably by the end of the year!

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  5. Thanks for ones marvelous posting! I certainly enjoyed
    reading it, you may be a great author.I will ensure that I bookmark your blog and may come back in the future.
    I want to encourage you to ultimately continue your great posts,
    have a nice holiday weekend!

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  6. Sounds like a great idea to share your inner side and experience to the golden years, bravo

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  7. It's so true! The Journey is what is most important, the memories you make during those journeys add up to make the destination even more spectacular. xo - Kam

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  8. I know what you mean about right brain / left brain. I am a physicist and writing was not my natural go to. I also count on Jenn to de-engineer a lot of my posts. Studies have shown time and time again that nostalgia and recalling memories have profound effect of your psyche and feeling of well being.

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  9. We started blogging so that we could relive our travels over and over again. I understand your point about not having time to ponder your travels and learnings when you are travelling all the time. I am sure you will love reliving your journeys from your armchairs.

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    1. All three are great phades if travel,bplus the planning!

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  10. I love sharing my travels on my blog, it's also a great way of keeping the memories alive

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  11. One feels your passion for expressing yourself in your writing in every word. It's amazing that you can write so 'deep' in a language that's originally yours. I do the same and i know what a struggle it can be at times.

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  12. I agree. I live my journey a second time when I write about it, and at that time take extra time to savor it. And I realize today as I've been busy updating my blog posts that I live it yet again when I am doing a tedious chore like that--one of the bonuses of being a travel writer.

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    1. Yes. And I look forward to the time when I will not tire of looking at them!

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  13. I'm not far behind you in the aging trajectory, so your phrase, "time to wonder about our wanderings" resonates for me. And, as it is for you, my wondering is not just about our geographical wandering, but also about our wandering through this thing we call "life".

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    1. And it is do satisfying yo know that we tried almost everything!

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  14. Credit it to you, for expressing yourself so well in another tongue. Writing about your journeys is a lovely legacy to leave for family and friends.

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  15. A really nice article. I'm curious to see how your "journey" continues and if you find what you are looking for. I'm looking forward to reading about it.
    Susanne

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    1. Not really looking for anything but to continue weaving stories to look back on when we are really old!

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  16. Simply want to say your article is as surprising. The clearness to your publish is
    simply nice and that i can suppose you're knowledgeable on this subject.
    Well along with your permission let me to clutch your feed to keep up to date with coming near near post.
    Thanks 1,000,000 and please keep up the rewarding work.

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  17. When someone writes an article he/she retains the image of a user in his/her mind that how a user can understand
    it. Therefore that's why this piece of writing is amazing.
    Thanks!

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  18. Sometimes the journey inside is exactly what the one we take externally, I think even more so for longer trips where our minds tend to go to new and different places over those long hours on the road. The journey itself where you look out at the view and contemplate life and what you do with it. You write very well, I have an aunt from Manila and can recognise that Filipino dialect and accent wherever I hear it. Interestingly, she still used a lot of the American terms for things but over time has picked up the British terms from living there. But she learnt English from the US troops based there!

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    1. I do have an accent, too! I don't think it will ever ho away!

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  19. Quality posts is the key to be a focus for the visitors to visit the website,
    that's what this web site is providing.

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  20. I had to laugh about the the TV on, I have mine on all the time and drives people nuts. I love the imagery of reliving the story in your rocking chairs!

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    Replies
    1. Will never give up that TV noise even when I am in those rocking chairs.

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  21. The destinations may fade from memory but the journey always remains etched in memory. You are really prolific in your writing. Look forward to your books, I am sure they will be a wealth of information and experiences.

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  22. Very inspiring - I especially love how you recreated the pose with your own chairs in the photo. Well done!

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    1. I wanted yo see how we will look when we finally resort to rocking chairs.

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  23. Well done on writing a book! I am two left brains as well!

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  24. I too am tackling a book so can enjoy all that you've described. The inner journey is very much as important as the external one. I sometimes think it is what many fear over the rigors of travel. Storytelling is an art.

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  25. We put all of our travel photos on our large screen TV (computer screen) and watch them in an ongoing slideshow. Sometimes it is a challenge to remember where every single photo was taken, but we love watching the slide show. I imagine that our later years will be spent just that way. No longer taking photos but just watching all the ones we've already taken and remembering our amazing travels!

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  26. I look forward to reading your next book and the sharing of the journey within. It is such a brave move to put those thoughts on paper and publish them (especially in English).

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  27. Your journey is so inspiring. I love that you have worked through adversity, and have become such a beautiful and thoughtful writer. Your memories will live on for so many to enjoy down the road.

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  28. I've learn several excellent stuff here. Definitely value bookmarking for revisiting.
    I surprise how much effort you put to make this type of excellent informative website.

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  29. Pretty! This has been an incredibly wonderful article.
    Thanks for supplying this info.

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  30. How does it work...trying to awaken the half of your brain that's not fully you? Being a right brained person myself, I couldn't awaken an iota of my left brain if I tried. :)

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    1. I just kept on trying. As you said, it just needs to wake up!

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  31. I totally resonate your thoughts as life is not reaching a destination but to feel the journey. In traveling also I find journey more beautiful then reaching to the destination. I too agree that while writing it improves more and more over years. Thanks for lovely inspirational post.

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    1. Not just the destination. Not even the journey. It's the reliving of the story.

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  32. Very interesting idea to shift your writing focus from the outer destination to the inner journey. Sounds like a wonderful next phase for your writing.

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  33. I agree. A trip only lasts a short while, but the memories last forever, and you can boostl them by keeping photographs or writing an account of your travels.

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  34. Thanks so much for sharing your insights. As you know I'm turning 60 this month and often what's ahead. I've made lots of transitions in my life too. Each one has brought unexpected wonders and some not so great. But each day I learn something new and am grateful for all I have seen and will see in the future.

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    1. I know. Happy birthday! It's the time to do more of sharing insights gained. I must admit they still get refined each day!

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  35. I love this post. I think your English is terrific, and I've enjoyed tagging along on so many adventures with you and Bill. You've had a wonderful journey...and the best is yet to come!

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