Dreams Big Enough To Scare You

Yesterday, in a trip that reminded me of my 2010 Greyhound bus journey from New York City to New Orleans, I caught a bus from Adelaide to Melbourne. During the twelve hour trip we made several stops at small country towns and regional cities to drop off or pick up new passengers. One such stop was at the Victorian town of Nhill. There we had just 30 minutes to grab a quick bite at a local café or to hit the public restrooms at the tourist office.

I popped into Annaliesa’s Café at 24 Victoria Street, Nhill, for something to eat, and was delighted to discover numerous signs with a positive focus (see image), decorating the walls of the café.

Another of the messages read: “If your dreams don’t scare you, they are too small.”

Since I am planning to undertake some extended travelling again this year, I took both the above ‘messages’, and several others, as good omens for the year ahead. In fact, my new year begins with three weeks house sitting for friends in Melbourne – a role I have undertaken for the past three of four years. In May I will be in Greece for an extended stay, and with luck and good planning I hope to be back in New York City during July or August. If my trip to New York does not take place, I will head to France and England instead.

While I can’t claim that any of these journeys are large enough to scare me, I am well aware that at 65 years of age there are plenty of reasons to be cautious and careful. Anytime one spends up to six months away from home, you are forced to consider a wide range of scenarios that you probably take for granted if you stay close to home. The possibility of accidents while travelling is always a concern, and as a solo traveller, I am well aware that the responsibility for all my travel arrangements and for the decisions I make while I am away are all mine and nobody else’s.

Never the less, I am up for the challenge, and I hope my journeying this year will be as much fun, and as incident free as my last three extended trips in 2008, 2010 and 2012.

I hope yours are too.