Fellowship of the road.
I have been travelling for a long time, and by long I mean since I was seventeen.
At that age I saw travelling as somewhat terrified of going it alone, of people, of strange places and of everything outside my comfort zone.
However over the last several years I have come to enjoy it,, yes I will always have my pre-travel anxiety but once I start the journey that's when the real fun begins.
You see I am a firm believer in finding something decent in travel, be it the much needed break from work/school, the white noise of the bus driving down the highway, the excitement of children travelling for the first time (I'm sorry but I love this thing because their little faces lighting up when they see planes is kind of amazing, just seconds ago I saw a little one with a ninja turtles beanie that had a crocheted on eye mask like Raphael which made my heart squeeze due to my ninja turtle love as a kid) or just the escape from everything.
But for me of all the things I enjoy the comradery of the road, be it an eight hour bus to Halifax or being trapped in an airport waiting for a flight for hours on end.
Today I saw several instances of this, on the bus when I couldn't find a seat I looked to the most punk looking person and sat next to him, within minutes we started chatting with several others who sat around us, with each stop we lost a member of our little back of the bus gang, but it was a memory of laughing and the kindness of strangers.
Each of us exchanging well wishes knowing we will probably never see each other again but a few shared laughs with strangers can sometimes be more worth it than ones shared with people you do know, because for those seconds you're not just a person on the road travelling to who knows where, but you're a citizen of the world.
When we all really dispersed in Truro, when the punk with the heart of gold had to depart for Sydney and the retired solider had to leave, in the few short hours I knew them it was interesting.
I had learned on our six hour journey together that J the punk rocker from Nova Scotia was moving home after a bad break up, having to leave behind him his daughter who was in good hands with her mother and her family. His confidence in it being a good decision for his family made me proud, because it was for both the good of his daughter and himself. For her so she wouldn't see her parents fight while also for his sanity as he missed his home and family not being from Ontario where his daughter and now ex were.
And then there was Jim, how do I start to describe this man without laughing? He was the foul mouthed 65 year old retired solider from Corner Brook that made us laugh so hard at one point there were tears in everyone's eyes. His comments got pretty boarder line creepy at times but at his age we let it slide as it was nothing more than harmless fun as he poked fun at passers by from the bus.
When we went our separate ways J and I decided to keep touch, he and I having discussed our similar upbringings and hometowns, it was interesting to see how in such a short time I could find a friend.
While good old Jim departed us jabbing my arm playfully telling me 'Little star you behave, stay out of trouble and stay wild' referencing my tattoo with stars on my forearm.
It was sobering as the three of us went on different buses giving each other a good luck nod.
Soon after my bus brought me to my near final place, Halifax.
I have been here for nearly five hours, after having some pretty intense allergic reactions to the overwhelming amount of shellfish in this airport (seriously this place is actually crawling with them,, down stairs in the check in area there is actually a place to buy live or cooked lobster it's repulsive) I found a small wraps/soups place with a small corner bar next to ironically enough my gate for my flight.
The woman behind the bar, bless her saw my red eyes and asked if I was okay as I was breathing a little heavy with red eyes as my allergies had begun to take a toll on me (my eyes at this point after half an hour of searching for a place to eat in the midst of an airport that smells like low tide were bloodshot and watery while I was also rocking a headache to boot) I shook my head as she offered me a glass of water while I explained my allergies, with a smile she looked at me and pointed to her menu telling me there was no shellfish at her kiosk.
Now I am not typically one for eating wraps, but this was probably the best one I've ever had even for an airport, while at this kiosk I met some pretty interesting people again.
Sal the infantry solider who had been in the army for six years now, on his way to another tasking after being posted temporarily to Halifax for a couple of weeks, we exchanged stories and laughs about our military experiences and friends having told him about how I know several people at the base in Gagetown, and then a woman who was on her way to Toronto who I never even caught her name but we exchanged glances and laughs as she downed her beer looking to me.
'You been here long?'
My response as I took a long sip of my drink was ''Too long and the night is only young but the bar is stocked so I'll be okay.'
'Too bad I am about to board we could have been friends' she smirked as they announced her flight's boarding.
'Another day another flight I guess.' I smiled watching her walk away.
Which is something I like about the road, as we travel it's interesting to think of how in another world these five minute, five hour conversations could be more than that they can be friendships, they can make someones day better.
This is why I enjoy the fellowship of the road, the knowing that someone who might not be on the same journey as you but is on the same road for a few moments can enter your life and even if it's a quick laugh in line for coffee over a kid's hat or bonding over something as simple as the chocolate chip cookies (Moncton Sobey's thank you for those by the way they were epic and the perfect road trip snack) it is about the art of knowing others outside of your comfort zone, away from home and school.
On the road there is an unspoken code in some sense that the kindness of strangers can be like fuel, it'll keep you going even on the longest of trips.
And mine for now is almost over, as I prepare to board my flight I wish you all the best on your roads that you may travel by and remember the code, the fellowship of the road exists the holders of this code are the kindred spirits in coffee shops cracking jokes, smiling because life isn't all that bad all the time, because you don't need to be angry or stuck up while you travel you just need to kick back and enjoy it, enjoy the break from your normal life and just embrace other places and experiences because you never know when it'll be last call for them.
Happy travelling star gazers, this girl is out.
At that age I saw travelling as somewhat terrified of going it alone, of people, of strange places and of everything outside my comfort zone.
However over the last several years I have come to enjoy it,, yes I will always have my pre-travel anxiety but once I start the journey that's when the real fun begins.
You see I am a firm believer in finding something decent in travel, be it the much needed break from work/school, the white noise of the bus driving down the highway, the excitement of children travelling for the first time (I'm sorry but I love this thing because their little faces lighting up when they see planes is kind of amazing, just seconds ago I saw a little one with a ninja turtles beanie that had a crocheted on eye mask like Raphael which made my heart squeeze due to my ninja turtle love as a kid) or just the escape from everything.
But for me of all the things I enjoy the comradery of the road, be it an eight hour bus to Halifax or being trapped in an airport waiting for a flight for hours on end.
Today I saw several instances of this, on the bus when I couldn't find a seat I looked to the most punk looking person and sat next to him, within minutes we started chatting with several others who sat around us, with each stop we lost a member of our little back of the bus gang, but it was a memory of laughing and the kindness of strangers.
Each of us exchanging well wishes knowing we will probably never see each other again but a few shared laughs with strangers can sometimes be more worth it than ones shared with people you do know, because for those seconds you're not just a person on the road travelling to who knows where, but you're a citizen of the world.
When we all really dispersed in Truro, when the punk with the heart of gold had to depart for Sydney and the retired solider had to leave, in the few short hours I knew them it was interesting.
I had learned on our six hour journey together that J the punk rocker from Nova Scotia was moving home after a bad break up, having to leave behind him his daughter who was in good hands with her mother and her family. His confidence in it being a good decision for his family made me proud, because it was for both the good of his daughter and himself. For her so she wouldn't see her parents fight while also for his sanity as he missed his home and family not being from Ontario where his daughter and now ex were.
And then there was Jim, how do I start to describe this man without laughing? He was the foul mouthed 65 year old retired solider from Corner Brook that made us laugh so hard at one point there were tears in everyone's eyes. His comments got pretty boarder line creepy at times but at his age we let it slide as it was nothing more than harmless fun as he poked fun at passers by from the bus.
When we went our separate ways J and I decided to keep touch, he and I having discussed our similar upbringings and hometowns, it was interesting to see how in such a short time I could find a friend.
While good old Jim departed us jabbing my arm playfully telling me 'Little star you behave, stay out of trouble and stay wild' referencing my tattoo with stars on my forearm.
It was sobering as the three of us went on different buses giving each other a good luck nod.
Soon after my bus brought me to my near final place, Halifax.
I have been here for nearly five hours, after having some pretty intense allergic reactions to the overwhelming amount of shellfish in this airport (seriously this place is actually crawling with them,, down stairs in the check in area there is actually a place to buy live or cooked lobster it's repulsive) I found a small wraps/soups place with a small corner bar next to ironically enough my gate for my flight.
The woman behind the bar, bless her saw my red eyes and asked if I was okay as I was breathing a little heavy with red eyes as my allergies had begun to take a toll on me (my eyes at this point after half an hour of searching for a place to eat in the midst of an airport that smells like low tide were bloodshot and watery while I was also rocking a headache to boot) I shook my head as she offered me a glass of water while I explained my allergies, with a smile she looked at me and pointed to her menu telling me there was no shellfish at her kiosk.
Now I am not typically one for eating wraps, but this was probably the best one I've ever had even for an airport, while at this kiosk I met some pretty interesting people again.
Sal the infantry solider who had been in the army for six years now, on his way to another tasking after being posted temporarily to Halifax for a couple of weeks, we exchanged stories and laughs about our military experiences and friends having told him about how I know several people at the base in Gagetown, and then a woman who was on her way to Toronto who I never even caught her name but we exchanged glances and laughs as she downed her beer looking to me.
'You been here long?'
My response as I took a long sip of my drink was ''Too long and the night is only young but the bar is stocked so I'll be okay.'
'Too bad I am about to board we could have been friends' she smirked as they announced her flight's boarding.
'Another day another flight I guess.' I smiled watching her walk away.
Which is something I like about the road, as we travel it's interesting to think of how in another world these five minute, five hour conversations could be more than that they can be friendships, they can make someones day better.
This is why I enjoy the fellowship of the road, the knowing that someone who might not be on the same journey as you but is on the same road for a few moments can enter your life and even if it's a quick laugh in line for coffee over a kid's hat or bonding over something as simple as the chocolate chip cookies (Moncton Sobey's thank you for those by the way they were epic and the perfect road trip snack) it is about the art of knowing others outside of your comfort zone, away from home and school.
On the road there is an unspoken code in some sense that the kindness of strangers can be like fuel, it'll keep you going even on the longest of trips.
And mine for now is almost over, as I prepare to board my flight I wish you all the best on your roads that you may travel by and remember the code, the fellowship of the road exists the holders of this code are the kindred spirits in coffee shops cracking jokes, smiling because life isn't all that bad all the time, because you don't need to be angry or stuck up while you travel you just need to kick back and enjoy it, enjoy the break from your normal life and just embrace other places and experiences because you never know when it'll be last call for them.
Happy travelling star gazers, this girl is out.
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