[ so·lil·o·quy – the act of speaking one’s thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers ]
Last weekend LincsGeek and I had a lovely (and rather warm) long weekend in London. We enjoyed the sights and sounds of the City, taking in tourist attractions, a show, a trip to the cinema (with aircon!), food, parts of historic hidden London, and lots more besides. It was our journeys to and from the big smoke that made me think, though.
Where I sit on a train really doesn’t bother me – obviously LincsGeek and I wanted to sit together but apart from that I really don’t care. Forwards, backwards, aisle, window, table, airline style seat. All good. All seats. All enable me to get to my destination in relative comfort. We had reserved seats at a table, with our seats facing backwards. On the way I didn’t even think about the fact I could only see where we were coming from. But on the way home I realised my view was of somewhere I’d already been, not the place I was travelling to.
The fact is we all quite like knowing where we are going. And we all appreciate being able to see where we are going. When we are in backwards facing seats on a train all we can see is where we have come from. I’ve heard it said the rear facing seats are actually safer than front facing ones on trains, I’ve no idea how much truth there is in that, but even with that, it is still good to be able to see what is coming.
In life I find the same. I like to be planned and organised. I like to know exactly where I am going (and at what time, if possible!). I would much rather be facing the direction of travel than looking back at what I have already passed. It doesn’t matter what kind of transport we’re taking, looking towards the direction of travel makes a difference.
Experience is incredibly important, of course. We learn from what we do, we become who we are based on the circumstances of months and years gone by, memories of particular days or places are forever ingrained in our minds and influence our choices. But even with all that, even as someone who purposefully takes photographs and writes a blog to help me remember experiences and feelings, we have to be facing the right way in order to make the most of what is to come.
Life is all about the journey. Look where you are going.
What do you think? Comment below...