Finding Yourself Through Travel and Dreams
Embrace the process of wandering and of getting lost so that you may be on the way to being found again.
This is a poetic and mesmerising piece that I have recently read on Weibo. I don’t know who is the original author, but it is a great Chinese article. Took me a long time to understand and translate into English. I hope you will enjoy it too.
I vaguely remember when I was a child, looking up alone at the stars hanging on the night sky, recalling the teachings of my parents and visualising a beautiful future. That young soul has a dream; ‘I will succeed and walk out a new chapter by myself!’
But now, I just want to go to a faraway land; I want to travel, I want to be alone, carrying those fleeting moments of sadness and distant dreams, be a lone backpacker and quietly embark on a journey to find my own paradise.
Living in such a big city, I don't know when or why I fell in love with travelling and watching travel programs, listening to friends about their interesting holiday encounters, and scrolling through their travel albums on Instagram; the beautiful landscapes, the alluring bridges, and the distant cultures make me feel happy.
Looking at these posts, words and pictures filled me with longing, imagining a moonlit starry night without the hustle and bustle of the city; standing alone at the quaint inn balcony, gazing at the distant scenery shrouded in the night mist.
So, in this early morning, I left the land where I had lived for twenty years and took a bus to an unknown faraway land.
Fantasize about the journey; catching small fishes in the stream; picking wildflowers in the mountain; climbing to high vantage, listening to the howling wind, going to the remote ancient temples, and stopping to meditate.
Travelling here and there; stopping by the roadside to watch the wheat fields churn, or stopping at the farmhouse to hear chickens crow in the morning and watch campfires at night. Or in the evening, bring along a bottle of small wine to join the small pavilion by the water. When the full moon rises, raise a glass to invite the moon and be mesmerised by the beauty, not the wine, how elegant and unrestrained, how comfortable.
I think those who love travelling want to escape the familiar but heavy air in their own city. Put on your backpack, wear your headphones, let loose yourself and go to a strange city. Yet the purpose of your search is to find yourself. Travelling will make people humble, and you will know the vastness of this world, where there will always be completely different people, things and matters that occur on the other ends of the world.
Later on, I found the beauty of travelling was not in scenic spots and historical sites but in having a period of wandering. Walking around freely, dazed with nothing to do, or getting lost in the alleys, witnessing the locals with their simple source of happiness, and you will be able to find what kind of life you want to pursue.
A Chinese girl and a German boy rode a motorcycle from Shanghai to Germany, and then travelled around Europe from Germany, lasting four and a half months, spending 40’000 yuan per month. 40’000 yuan may be a luxury package, or it may be the price for a one square meter house in Beijing. But what you can get and what you can leave behind is definitely not only an unforgettable journey. Shouldn’t we also leave behind something while we are still young?
Travelling doesn't necessarily have to go far. With a heart to discover, there will always be beautiful scenery around you. Life is a bumpy and winding road, even if you keep falling, you can always get up and continue pursuing your dreams.
Remember, if you don't give up this moment, there will still be hope in the next moment. Be a happy person, read books, travel, and work hard. Take care of your body and mind. I may not afford a cruise ticket, but I can afford a beautiful dream, and the courage to face the year ahead tirelessly without hesitation.
I enjoy travelling too, and I couldn’t agree more with the author; it is a means of finding ourselves and discovering what kind of life we want to pursue. I can relate to the longing for escape from our mundane routine, seeking solace and inspiration in the beauty of nature, unfamiliar places, and the experiences of different cultures.
It is humbling when we are exposed to the greater world at large to see diverse people, things, and situations that exist in different parts of the world. Especially the part about the process of wandering, getting lost, and observing the locals and their sources of happiness to gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and our own journey.
What touches me most is the idea of leaving behind something meaningful before it is too late. It need not be something great or award-worthy. It can be as simple as a pilgrimage or something similar.
I hope you have enjoyed this sharing. When you embark on your next travel, remember to savour your unforgettable experiences and embrace the process of wandering and getting lost so that you may be on the way to being found again.
If you enjoy this sharing and hope for more, please remember to like and comment so that I will find more of such motivating articles to share.
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Winston, Thank your for sharing how traveling, wandering enhances one's outlook on life. D