I have gotten sloppy and made mistakes. It may be time for me to quit traveling. Ha! If I took the approach that some people take in life (if you screw up, give up) then I would probably hang up my trekking shoes and call it quits. But I prefer to take a different approach!
In nearly 10 months, I had gone with only losing one article of clothing. A long sleeve Columbia Sportswear zip-top thing that I left that on a bus in Poland. That was in September. Since then, I hadn't lost anything else… until a few weeks ago. That’s when everything started turning south.
On my last night in Sydney, I went out to the bars and wore my one and only rain coat - that I had actually purchased in Estonia when I finally got tired of being wet. When I got back to the hostel, I joined the few remaining drunkards still up playing guitar and singing in the lounge. I took off my wet coat and set it on the back of the chair to dry while I hung out with the gang. My poor coat was never to be seen again. Now, I’m sure that one of my “hostel buddies” took it to their room for “safe keeping” intending to deliver it to me the next day, but alas, I went to the airport without ever giving them the opportunity. Just the other day, I lost my Oakley sunglasses (real ones!) that had lasted me from Africa in 2008 until now, and my coolio hat that my brother gave me. Both were lost on the same day, at two different locations. I lost them both while hitch-hiking, so the lucky drivers got a parting gift. I then lost my bright yellow "party" Ray-Ban sunglasses (totally fake) so now I am left with NO eye or face protection. Finally, this morning, I left my host with my quick-dry shammy towel. Time to air dry!
At this point, I would say that I am a very experienced traveler; some would even call me an “expert”. However, (and here comes the moral!) no matter how expert you get at something, how naturally something comes, or how easy it is, you can still screw it up. It is important to pay attention to what you do every time, because when you slip into a rut of routine, you are bound to make mistakes! And in some careers, when you get sloppy and make mistakes it may be taken as a sign to take a break or retire from the game, but in most cases, it can, and should, be taken as a sign to wake up and refocus. It's as easy as taking 10 seconds to double check before walking away. But ugh, that's such a long time!
In nearly 10 months, I had gone with only losing one article of clothing. A long sleeve Columbia Sportswear zip-top thing that I left that on a bus in Poland. That was in September. Since then, I hadn't lost anything else… until a few weeks ago. That’s when everything started turning south.
On my last night in Sydney, I went out to the bars and wore my one and only rain coat - that I had actually purchased in Estonia when I finally got tired of being wet. When I got back to the hostel, I joined the few remaining drunkards still up playing guitar and singing in the lounge. I took off my wet coat and set it on the back of the chair to dry while I hung out with the gang. My poor coat was never to be seen again. Now, I’m sure that one of my “hostel buddies” took it to their room for “safe keeping” intending to deliver it to me the next day, but alas, I went to the airport without ever giving them the opportunity. Just the other day, I lost my Oakley sunglasses (real ones!) that had lasted me from Africa in 2008 until now, and my coolio hat that my brother gave me. Both were lost on the same day, at two different locations. I lost them both while hitch-hiking, so the lucky drivers got a parting gift. I then lost my bright yellow "party" Ray-Ban sunglasses (totally fake) so now I am left with NO eye or face protection. Finally, this morning, I left my host with my quick-dry shammy towel. Time to air dry!
At this point, I would say that I am a very experienced traveler; some would even call me an “expert”. However, (and here comes the moral!) no matter how expert you get at something, how naturally something comes, or how easy it is, you can still screw it up. It is important to pay attention to what you do every time, because when you slip into a rut of routine, you are bound to make mistakes! And in some careers, when you get sloppy and make mistakes it may be taken as a sign to take a break or retire from the game, but in most cases, it can, and should, be taken as a sign to wake up and refocus. It's as easy as taking 10 seconds to double check before walking away. But ugh, that's such a long time!
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