The inspiration for this post was a bit unexpected, I’ll admit. I was travelling to college one day and while I did manage to grab a seat in the Metro, let’s just say that it was not the most comfortable situation (Metro regulars know what I’m talking about–8 people sitting on six seats, mm-hmm). What is one to do in when put in such a fix? I couldn’t read a book because there was not enough space for me to hold it up without elbowing a few people. So I took to people-watching which is something I do on a regular basis–not in a creepy way, but in an artistic, I-Like-Studying-Humans kind of way.
After 15 minutes of rolling my eyes at people taking selfies inside the coach (just why?), I saw three women walk in and sit down right opposite me. I would have felt bad about listening in to their conversation if it wasn’t so captivating (also, unless you clamp your hands over your ears, it is really difficult to not eavesdrop in a crowded metro coach). They talked of the sights of Rome, Santorini, London, Istanbul, New York… you get the drift.
One of the women told her companions the story of how her family surprised her with a skiing vacation in the Swiss Alps on her previous birthday. The other talked about the month she spent in Florida and how she wanted to set up camp inside Disney World. The third woman described the joys of scuba diving which she discovered during her recent trip to Bali. The visuals that my mind conjured while they spoke were beautiful enough that I wanted to close my eyes and just soak it all in.
If you’re imagining me sitting there, smiling serenely at three young women whose life experiences were worth envying, well, you’re correct but only partly. I most definitely was smiling at the women sitting across from me but they were all sexagenarians. I say this not because I’m judgmental or rude but the fact that people in their sixties could enjoy travelling as much as I do made me realise that wanderlust was not just for the young.
The skiing vacation I mentioned above? That was for her 60th birthday. On a bright summer morning in a crowded Metro coach, I found my new idols–three women in their sixties who loved to soak in the sights and sounds of the world. I’m the kind of person who is always up for travelling. I love the sense of exhilaration that accompanies packing a bag and leaving everyday life behind.
I looked at them with equal parts envy and admiration. A life filled with exploration and discovery–that’s the kind of life I want for myself. For a socially awkward hermit like myself, it’s hard to believe that my ultimate dream is to wake up in a different city every month. But it is, and I hope that one day, it comes true. I feel like every new place I visit becomes a part of me and I want to keep collecting memories (also, brochures) till I’m an amalgamation of experiences from all over the world.
While there’s much I’ve yet to see, I do hope that by the time I’m sixty, I have as many memories to recall and stories to tell as the trio in the Metro.
Thanks to my friend Puneet who let me scrounge through the massive archive of photographs from his travels so that I could pepper them throughout this post. His travel footprints definitely resemble the Trio’s more than mine do.
OhRiyally 