Journeys.

Journeys are time to think. If not to relax, at least to collect your thoughts, to pause and to process. They are the spaces between places. It could be said that a good journey is a forgettable one. Uneventful, nothing out of the ordinary. The ones that went according to plan, where we arrived safely and punctually at our destination. These are the journeys we hope for. But the journeys we remember are the ones that defied expectations. The ones where we met someone new, or where we took an unplanned detour. The joyous ones spent travelling with friends or family, embarking on unexpected adventures, or the hellish ones where we’re stuck in traffic or delayed unavoidably by broken down trains. They are the journeys that leave their mark upon us. Travelling with another person is one way to really get to know them. A shared journey can cement a relationship, or expose its cracks.

As I get older, I look forward to train journeys as opportunities to spend time alone, reading or listening to music or just thinking without any pressure to accomplish something. Sometimes they’re a chance to focus on writing without interruption. Other journeys are ones of anticipation and excitement. I try to appreciate them in the moment, to look out the window and observe the world from a different angle, rather than looking forward to them ending.