It was 6 months ago today my life was about to change forever, it was my last day with my former employer. I did my finally rounds of goodbyes to the people I worked with, many of whom I will never see or hear from again. I remember the excitement of knowing the journey was about to begin. I sent out one last final email saying my farewells and sending out my blog. I remember seeing emails coming back from people with last words of encouragement, jealousy, and their farewells. I held back any emotions I had so nobody can see anything except for the excitement. What exactly was I holding back? Fear.
I went from being well paid to homeless and unemployed. It was a big risk doing what I did, but if I could leave my job again would I? I would make the same decision a thousand times over. Before I left I was unhappy with the way my life was going. I do not know where my life is going today but I am ok with that.
I had asked someone I worked with to walk me out of the building and the elevator ride down and the way out it really started hitting me. When I left I started asking myself "what am I doing"? "how will I live"?, "what did I do"? "was this a mistake:? I was full of emotions then suddenly it hit me, I don't have time for this I need to get the rest of the stuff out of my apartment and finish getting ready for my journey.
Sometimes when I read my own blog I am amazed how much I have seen and done. So many stories I have likely forgotten. I have met so many people from throughout this world. Next week I head to New Zealand for a new journey and to begin to prepare for the next set of trips. What have I learnt so far on my journey;
Patience - This was not an easy virtue to gain but a very important one.
The ability to ask for help - At some point we all need help.
Compassion & helping people - These go hand and hand together. One important thing to remember is you can't help everyone.
Letting things go & smiling after a bad situation - I have many times where I was in an uncomfortable situation I kept my cool dealt with it and was able to smile after. Many people will get upset about a situation, or someone will rub them the wrong way, they will get angry and continue to talk about it and let it bother them. How many times have you repeated the same story about someone who was rude to you, or did something wrong and you went back to that event over and over again. When you do something wrong learn from it and let the anger from it go.
Dealing with muppets - Man I hate muppets.
Knowing when to help and when not to. Sometimes you need to let people make decisions and live with the results. There is an old saying "You can lead a jackass to water but you can't make him drink".
Controlling anger - Everyone gets angry but it is a matter of being able to use your anger in the right way.
Dealing with scammers - Some scams are easier to smell than others. Go with you gut and if sounds too good to be true you know what to do. Sometimes you are better off paying a little more money to ensure nothing bad happens. Ask your hotel/hostel for directions on places and be willing to walk.
Trust - After being robbed and scammed I had a hard time trusting people again. Sometimes you have no choice and other times you just need to be firm with what it is you want.
Dealing with other cultures - Some cultures do not understand sarcasm or anger. Some cultures will not look at your eyes and others do not know what personal space is. Try to look at things from someone else's point of view and sometimes you need to think about where you are.
How to adjust to new cultures - This goes along with the one above. A word like crazy has very little meaning to someone in Canada but a country like Laos that is a very big insult. When crossing borders in Canada or the US it is one at a time. In some countries you need to gather all of your travel companions passports put them down at once, then stand at the counter and ensure nobody gets in front of you.
The value of a dollar - This is different for everyone and every place. If you are in most developed western countries 20 dollars will not go far but 20 dollars in other countries can go far. I have had people pay for a 1 or 2 dollar meal for me and that meant the world.
My Life
My Choice
My Time
Tuna Tom
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