Part 2: Seeing the world!
I live my life by this mantra, but with my bike packed, a last London pub meal with Helen underway and everything almost ready to fly to a part of the world I’ve never cycled before…the anxiety is high again. Why?
Because anxious thoughts still swirl around my head. Will this be the first place where the roads really are rubbish? (as everyone who’s travelled by car or bus tells you), where I get bitten once by a dog? or to bits by mosquitoes? This area has a slightly dodgy reputation – will I be robbed, my bike stolen or even worse? I’ll be in mountains for three days on my own – will I find anywhere to stay? Let alone the minor worries – will there be WIFI, to sort out Breakaway Greece bookings and keep in touch with home?
And that’s just the anxiety I feel about where I’m going. Talking of home, I obviously worry about missing out on the life I love at home, with Helen and the kids.
So, with all that anxiety building up, why on earth do I leave home to go and see the world (on my bike)?
Because I believe in that mantra – The hardest thing about ‘Living the life you want’ is the decision to do it! - Because I have so much proof that it's true. I’ve travelled the equivalent of five times around the world in the last ten years and I know the following to be true...
1 People are genuinely nice the world over. Despite what the media would like us to believe. We do have more in common, than that which divides us. If I’ve needed help, every single person I’ve ever asked (in whatever language, sign language or app) – from Tibet to the USA to China - has helped me. You only truly get to see the world, via the kindness of strangers.
2 Everywhere is essentially the same, the world over. When I leave the airport on my bike on Wednesday, I know the first two things I will see will be a Starbucks and a Macdonald's. This also means the roads, like everywhere in the world, will be better than in London and there will always be somewhere to buy food and water and ask for any help I might need every 30 miles.
3 People think I just make these decisions off the cuff. I don’t. I research till I’m blue in the face; contacting local cycle groups, and digging out videos on YouTube. However, remote a place I’m going, someone has always been there before and someone has always shared their story and videos and is always (as above) happy to help someone else. Every ride I’ve done has benefitted from the experience of someone who has ridden there before.
4 Re: Missing home life… That’s always tough. But in this house, we’ve always encouraged everyone to live their own life. Helen and I have been together for thirty years. Living our own lives, and having our own projects and friends has been a key part of this greatest life achievement.
Re: affording the time and money to be able to do this – that’s for another post.
I still suffer from pre-trip anxiety but it’s always quietened by remembering that the hardest thing about ‘Living the life you want’ - is the decision to do it!
PS – Ultimately, the shortcut answer is to take as much care about our lives as we do about our careers.
Now, where is my passport?
