"The ideas of living"

  “Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.”

- Miriam Beard

Ted. Recently I sat in the cozy guesthouse of our friends, Susan and Kay and contemplated this quote.  The more that Judy and I have traveled, the less important “sights” have become. Rather, we have become preoccupied with “just living.” In March, we were just living in Santiago, Chile and now we are just living in Georgia.

So, how are our "ideas of living" evolving? First of all, we have had some success shucking off our attachment to things. We are content with modest accommodations. A nice walk every day is the foundation of our exercise regimen. Meals are a simple matter and a deck of cards provides much of our entertainment.

Our goal is not Walden Pond. Actually, people are becoming more important to us. The joys of reconnecting with family and friends wherever we roam have grown in significance and we are thrilled when we really connect with new folks that we meet. Fortunately, no one seems to care that we always show up in the same old shirts and pants. At meet ups now, we rarely discuss where we have been. There is no need to rattle off the lists of sights we have most recently enjoyed. It’s more about maintaining a familiarity with the arc of time in each others’ lives.

We work hard to ignore the stress and anxiety that we see in the US. Attending church and volunteering have taken on added meaning. Not only are these activities part of our spiritual journey, they help us to keep focused and to build and maintain a community wherever we happen to be living.

Judy and I are on a pilgrimage; not to a physical place, but to an internal place where we are fully at peace with ourselves, each other and the world around us.

Traveling with Mama Florence

Judy. In late 2016 when we were getting ready to start our great adventure, our dear friend Shirley asked a favor. Her mom was 104, living in a nursing home in Harlem, NY, and was no longer able to travel as she once did. Would we be willing to take a photo of her with us and take pictures of her as we traveled the world? Then we could send digital copies to Shirley and nephew Marcus as “Mama” traveled again.

Ms. Florence, "Mama" at her 100th birthday celebration

What a gift! Mama has gone with us since day one, and often when we ask if a new acquaintance will hold her photograph, they want to give a kiss to this remarkable woman. Sometimes after we send a new photo, Shirley writes back, “Oh, Mama’s been there,” and sometimes she says that her mother would never believe all the places she’s going.

Ms. Florence hiked with us in Vancouver, BC; went with us to the forests of New Zealand; to the Sydney bridge and Opera House in Australia; to Angor Wat in Cambodia; to visit friends in Kuala Lumpur; to Robbin Island off CapeTown, South Africa, where our guide, who had been a prisoner there, insisted on taking a photo with her by Nelson Mandela’s cell. She’s visited with our niece and nephew in Budapest and our friends who live in the former DDR (East Germany).

 

With Ted and Hannah at Monte Alban

In Mexico she went with us to Monte Alban, the ruins of an ancient Zapotec civilization. In Cadíz, Spain, she joined us to explore the Elcano and met a sailor, and in Aix-en-Provence, France, shopped with us at the market.

At the Elcano

Mama with a Spanish sailor

In Canada, we traveled the Acadian Trail together, and in London, had cocktails with

The Anglican church in Tangier

us at the top of the Shard as we watched the sun set. We experienced the church in Tangier and souks of Marakkesh; and sunned on the beaches of Las Palmas in Gran Canaria and Split in Croatia.

In Uruguay we visited the “Hand in the Sand” in Puente del Este, and in Santiago, Chile, she climbed with us weekly to the top of San Cristobal and went with me to Bible study on Mondays.

With the Ladies' Bible Study, Santiago

And she waited in my dressing room each night of DRIVING MISS DAISY, coming out to have her photo made with the cast.

 

With the DAISY cast

Unfortunately, I didn’t save all the photos—big mistake on my part.

Shirley thanks us for taking her along, but the joy is ours. “Mama” has been an integral part of this journey. Shirley says that at 106, she is physically healthy, and sometimes comes out of her mental rest to see and recognize her daughter. At one point, Shirley said, “I don’t know how much longer Mama can travel with you. She’s slowly fading.”

That may be. Mrs. Florence may pass over in the not-too-distant future. But it won’t mean she’ll stop traveling with us. She’s a great travel companion.