This was my life last week and it was difficult: I arrived back in Australia after a month overseas; I went to work the next day; dealt with sudden time changes; experienced sleep deprivation and irregular sleep patterns; had to avoid commitments and friends until emotionally ready; and, I felt a desperate need to catch up on my two favourite shows Outlander and Game of Thrones.
Why the best part of going away is coming home
Travel reinforces the fact that compared to the rest of the world, Australia does not represent the norm. You can understand why we are called the lucky country. Apart from our physical beauty and quality of life, we don’t have our major cities full of army personnel carrying machine guns for ‘unexpected encounters’ as witnessed regularly overseas. Well not yet anyway.
But this article is not about the differences between Australia and other countries it is about the personal impact travelling has on you. It is about how it affects you – inside. How your unconscious feelings rise into consciousness and how you begin to question yourself, and I did.
These are the seven things I thought most about:
- How do I feel right now at this stage of my life?
- What have I done with my life, why do I exist?
- Have I got it right?
- What are my priorities?
- Do I give back to my community and do I belong in it?
- Am I happy?
- What next? What will I do in the future when I get home?
It is not about the meaning of life, it is about a review of life and if anything needs to be done to change it.
Baby Boomers are running out of time
As a Baby Boomer who now has more freedom to travel and is placed on the other side of an average life span, I’m think more about what’s next. I’m pretty sure most Boomers do more so than our younger counterparts.
We know we are running out of time, many of us feel as though we will live forever and for some of us retirement is just around the corner.
So we need to be honest and answer our own questions, and that’s what travelling has brought me to realise and to think about.
Next column, let’s look at the excuses we make and how we can right them!
Ruth Greening holds a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Psychology & Philosophy. Before retirement, she worked for over 40 years in the corporate world in Melbourne and Brisbane and progressed into senior management positions and project roles for both private industry and government.
In her 70’s, she continues in casual roles as a freelance writer, model, and actor participating in small movies, TV commercials and User Generated Content.
As a grandmother, she is known as Nanny Babe to her grandchildren and writes from a Baby Boomer perspective on her blog www.nannybabe.com. An avid crafter Ruth actively participates in sewing, crocheting and knitting.
While she continues to pursue her artistic passions, Ruth is dedicated to maintaining her health and fitness as she ages by attending the gym, dancing and walking and thrives on mentoring others.
Connect with Ruth or our moniker Nanny Babe; nannybabegengp.blogspot.com.au/
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