Earlier this week I did a reasonably long drive, about 900kms, from Sydney to Mullumbimby. I have a pretty basic car; no luxury, no stereo, auto windows or the like. So it was a bare bones driving experience. Just the wheels on the road and my mind and eyes.
A couple of things I observed on the trip are worth noting.
1.) My job was to safely make it from point A to point B. To do this I had to pay proper attention to the coniditions and situations around me. It was very beautiful in some spots and visually a great pleasure to be taking in the wonderful, morphing Australian landscape. I thought about some of the people in global hotspots like Egypt and Syria and thought about how removed I was from those kind of situations - and any other drama unfolding anywhere. My job was simple and confined to limited parameters. I did not have to worry about other dramas - global or personal - because my attention was in demand. It was a reminder of the liberating sensation of travel. The time between your departure place and your destination is reserved for that activity. It's like you have a pass from the everyday issues. It's at once, somehow magically, cathartic and nourishing.
2.) Even though I was giving 100% attention to my driving, a few times I would get on a pleasant or rewarding stream of thought - about a new creative idea/project or a mental recount of a recent series of interesting poker hands - and at the end of the sequence I would realise that ten or twenty or thirty minutes - and 40 or 50kms had gone by. Fully functioning on a couple of levels at once. It reminded me of a few times in my 20's when I used to smoke hashish and drive. Similar. But these days I don't need the drugs.
3.) I don't mind travelling alone. I get on with myself well. I take care of myself and enjoy my own company. This is obviously a good thing. It has always been true to a degree, but now after having done it for many decades, it is even more true and more apparent. There is plenty of world out there to interact with. Having said that, on arrival, I was delighted to see my dearest friends and spend precious and rewarding time together. It's about a healthy balance. I do acknowledge, though, that as an artist, quiet time/alone time is an essential and important aspect to the creative living process.
4.) This trip is not just a visit for me. I am moving from the city to the country. It's a reasonably big change. Before I have resettled, I will have stayed in and moved out of three or four different abodes, some familiar, some new. There has been plenty of box packing, lifting and loading already and more to come. It is a time of change and transition. It is packed with highs and lows. Because you are destabilised and dealing with new surroundings, boundaries and situations, experiences and emotions are heightened. Amongst the turmoil it becomes a little easier to notice one's essence. The un-changing. It is interesting to observe. Life never gets easier. You just get a bit more used to being around the process, challenges and demands of change.
A couple of things I observed on the trip are worth noting.
1.) My job was to safely make it from point A to point B. To do this I had to pay proper attention to the coniditions and situations around me. It was very beautiful in some spots and visually a great pleasure to be taking in the wonderful, morphing Australian landscape. I thought about some of the people in global hotspots like Egypt and Syria and thought about how removed I was from those kind of situations - and any other drama unfolding anywhere. My job was simple and confined to limited parameters. I did not have to worry about other dramas - global or personal - because my attention was in demand. It was a reminder of the liberating sensation of travel. The time between your departure place and your destination is reserved for that activity. It's like you have a pass from the everyday issues. It's at once, somehow magically, cathartic and nourishing.
2.) Even though I was giving 100% attention to my driving, a few times I would get on a pleasant or rewarding stream of thought - about a new creative idea/project or a mental recount of a recent series of interesting poker hands - and at the end of the sequence I would realise that ten or twenty or thirty minutes - and 40 or 50kms had gone by. Fully functioning on a couple of levels at once. It reminded me of a few times in my 20's when I used to smoke hashish and drive. Similar. But these days I don't need the drugs.
3.) I don't mind travelling alone. I get on with myself well. I take care of myself and enjoy my own company. This is obviously a good thing. It has always been true to a degree, but now after having done it for many decades, it is even more true and more apparent. There is plenty of world out there to interact with. Having said that, on arrival, I was delighted to see my dearest friends and spend precious and rewarding time together. It's about a healthy balance. I do acknowledge, though, that as an artist, quiet time/alone time is an essential and important aspect to the creative living process.
4.) This trip is not just a visit for me. I am moving from the city to the country. It's a reasonably big change. Before I have resettled, I will have stayed in and moved out of three or four different abodes, some familiar, some new. There has been plenty of box packing, lifting and loading already and more to come. It is a time of change and transition. It is packed with highs and lows. Because you are destabilised and dealing with new surroundings, boundaries and situations, experiences and emotions are heightened. Amongst the turmoil it becomes a little easier to notice one's essence. The un-changing. It is interesting to observe. Life never gets easier. You just get a bit more used to being around the process, challenges and demands of change.
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