An Ode to Travelling

By Bridie Salmon.

“Education is an admirable thing, but is it worth to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.” Oscar Wilde himself coming to the conclusion that most writers are avid readers and most skills are copied subconsciously from our own fans. Yet, I plagiarised this from another book written by Steven Pinker, The Sense of Style. I read this sat in Thailand having a cigarette, a snippet of what I've learnt so far. So let's not “omit unnecessary words” or focus on the science behind a sentence structure to aid the readers simple human mind so you can handle this information correctly. Instead, let’s keep it raw and bombard you with the chaotic mess which my life represents and which is accurately shown in my amateur writing. Read as you will and judge as you like, I’m too happy to care.

Smiling. Smile now and think of something sad, but flash those teeth. It's almost impossible to be upset. What frustrates me the most in this world is that people in first world countries love being sad. An unpopular opinion I know. Deep down, if we have an issue or something to feel sorry for it makes us become addicted to the idea. We are always comparing ourselves to someone else, yet how is that even comprehendible when no single one of us is the same? Society tries its hardest to umbrella all these variations, but fails because it's simply impossible. They try pick the most suitable tests for the majority of mindsets. Ultimately though, the climbing of the tree will always be won by monkeys…or goats.

The fish simply have no chance. This is possibly why people feel they are alone at school, trying to force these incredibly different personalities onto one piece of paper. What they are trying to do is to inspire, hoping a small fact will spark light in our eyes and drive us forward. In reality, we have to start the spark ourselves, no one will do it for us.

The world doesn't owe us anything, to make it work is down to you and only you. That's the fact.

I dreamt of travelling since before I could remember, I dragged myself through school kicking and screaming but i made it. I made it and like a coiled spring I exploded. I landed in New Zealand like a child at Christmas, jubilant to say the least. I smiled so much my cheeks would ache, meeting strangers and hearing stories containing all sorts of wonders. I began to understand how small we really are and how much i don’t know. More importantly, about the magnificent excitement that the world has to offer. People are incredible, the feats they put themselves through and the mental boundaries they overcome, can't be comprehended. I have huge respect for everyone I meet. Every single person surprises me.

A month into travelling, I dislocated my shoulder for the third time. I was distraught. I cried myself to sleep and passed out on too many painkillers and 2 shots of whiskey. I thought my life was over. However, my arm stopped aching and I slowly got back to living. The next month I landed in Australia alone. I walked into the closest thing to paradise that I had ever seen. I fell in love with everything and everyone, It wasn't all positive though. I was bitten by a White Tip Spider when i arrived and ended up in hospital for 5 days alone and on a drip. I had various dislocations which were excruciatingly painful whilst working ridiculous hours, needless to say, I was exhausted all the time. I was still bubbly and smiley though, giving so much love to those around me. I would leave right now to go back. Even selling off all my belongings just to get on a plane and go “home”. I’m filled with sadness about the fact I can't go right now, but I’m eternally grateful that I met those incredible people that still leave me speechless (which is rare for myself).

One example of those was a friend who used to be in the army. She fought up the ranks fighting sexism every single day due to the jealousy of the men around her. She told me the views on her tours were breathtaking, but everywhere there was danger around the corner. Even in beauty, death was imminent. Someone else I met was raped at 15, became addicted to some heavy drugs and tried to kill herself multiple times. However, she found a workplace, and in her own words, it saved her life. She is the most passionate person I have ever met and long to drink a bottle of wine while watching Harry Potter with her. Simply so we can enjoy each other’s company and to appreciate her new lease of life.

Motorbiking through the Vietnamese national park with nature everywhere, no (simple) access to anything or anyone. Yet the raw bamboo huts we drove past housed the happiest children I have ever seen. Emitting pure laughter just at the sight of white people. The fact we chose to drive through their lives was like a gift to them that I will never understand. They had nothing yet were happier with that than the majority of people who have an actual bed to sleep in.

Over my time away I ended up dislocating both my shoulders up to 15 times. Each time was more traumatic than the last and by the end I stopped caring. I had done so much damage to my shoulders I realised I couldn't carry on. The dark thought of going home and operations loomed in the background, growing bigger everyday and eventually taking control.

I then got mugged in Cambodia the day before my flight back to Bangkok.

I had no money, no identity, no ways of communication and the biggest fear was going home. I simply didn't want to. I was happy living my life with little to no belongings and meeting the most stunning people you can in a lifetime.

Skipping the panic attacks; the nights of crying myself to sleep; the sense of loss when I came home and the massive heart ache for those I left behind, put simply, I felt sorry for myself. I had two major operations coming up around Christmas, believing I would lose my shoulder mobility. I thought I wouldn't be able to do any sport, destined to be stuck in the countryside alone while my friends were travelling or learning at university. I wallowed in self pity, lost motivation and turned to other ways of distraction.

Sometime later, I got a message from a friend I met in Hanoi.

“Did you hear the news?”

Ben, a wonderful magician and someone who installed laughter into other people's lives, was travelling through Barcelona with his childhood friends. He had heart pain and was rushed into hospital. A few hours later he died from a heart congenital defect out of the blue. His friends and family were distraught and had to fly his body back to Australia. He was 26.

I didn't know Ben for his whole life, I only had the pleasure of meeting him. And this information shifted my perspective enormously. Life can be taken from us for no reason at any time. So why live our short days on this earth closed minded and worried about the minor details? We spiral with our issues and magnify them. If we reset how our minds think maybe, we can see the brighter things in the world. From a “bitter, grey planet”, I now believe in the perspective that we are a minuscule part of a massive wonder. The more we learn the more power we have. I had the pleasure to meet amazing people and have incredible adventures, even if they were cut short. To get the most out of my life, I throw myself into the deep end as often as I can. I try and compliment strangers, friends and smile to everyone who meets my eye. Tiny changes in life can have huge impacts on those around you. We are all human.

Fast forward a few months and I’ve had two successful operations. Only 6 weeks after my last one I can put my hands up and I even stretch upwards, a movement they told me I wouldn't be able to do. Now, every time I do I can't help but smile. I can’t stop smiling, I do it so much my cheeks hurt. People have started to notice too. I still get tired, emotional and sad but that happens a lot less than before and that's okay. I talk to people, breathe, take a step back and look at life again. I tell my parents everything and I get excited for the future. I see so much more of everything these days, getting butterflies and adrenaline starts pumping (how exciting).

I’ll leave you with a few pearls of wisdom.

Can you remember anyone else’s embarrassing moments? No, not likely. No one will remember yours either. So fuck it.

Start living to the max, challenge your comfort zone and make new friends. Talk about philosophies, history and different perceptions. Live and learn whilst helping others and the planet. Change society and create a tsunami from the ripples.

We are more knowledgeable than any of those before us. We stand on the shoulders of giants learning their life's work in minutes. Flip a coin and grab the bull by the horns. Smile.

Why the fuck not?

P.s. If you get the chance please watch Tales of Light on Netflix. It’ll make sense.