I am very fond of travelling by car and when I was young my family and I would take several road trips down to the coast every year. With each journey the trip would seem to take quicker and quicker even though we would travel the exact same distance along the exact same route. It would become progressively shorter as I began to routinely identify with the landmarks along the open road and those of the small towns that seldom changed, as if frozen in time.
Towards the end of every year, like clockwork, we hear friends and acquaintances saying “Wow, this year has flown” or “I can’t believe its December already”. Ticking off the days on the calendar and the events that scatter the year remind me of the road signs on those family trips and the landmarks of those little communities. We become so attuned to the regular milestones that the spaces between become unnoticed.
Shortening a 1 000 km drive, even if mentally, could be seen a positive but it should not be the same with our daily lives. Cliche’s aside, enjoying every moment possible is a beautiful, if not always attainable, pursuit. To avoid losing much of the year to monotony perhaps take up a new hobby, discard some tiresome habits but most of all, take the long way home every once in a while. Have a fantastic 2020!
