Return of the daily haiku!
Hello Again!
I hope you enjoyed your holiday season! I’m back from book leave and ready to share more illustrated haiku. I missed posting every day.
I don’t know if it’s a fantasy or a delusion—but sometimes, when I’m out in nature, I think about what would happen if I kept walking.
What would happen if I didn’t come home?
There’s something exhilarating about the thought of being free from demands and expectations. Of course, I always do come back home. I love my people too much to ever abandon them.
(I’m also compulsively overprepared and could never start out on a long journey without first overpacking.)
Why would a reasonably responsible person have thoughts like this?
For me, this desire for self-indulgent solo travel is more than wanderlust. It’s rooted in a life where I’ve always been the responsible one. Even as a child, I was never allowed to be carefree.
I’m wise enough to know that a life alone on the road would not be all unicorns and fairytales, and I love too deeply to inflict that harm on my wife, children, and myself.
Instead, I take short solo trips during the summer and escape from the grind of life the rest of the year through art and poetry.
every step forward
expands the outer limits
imagination
But still, every time I find myself on a shaded path next to a chatty creek, I wonder, what if I kept walking?
Be the weird you want to see in the world!
Cheers,
Jason
Welcome back! I've missed your posts too.
I rather have the opposite experience of solo travel than you. I do a lot of solo travelling, for my work mostly. When I have to visit a new city or country for work, I always make sure to tack on a day or 2 for some exploration, and a lot of walking around. I value these experiences a lot, but the beacon of home is always strong. When I'm here, there are few things that compel me to leave the house. Mostly, it's the dog's daily routine of ramming his 50kg body against my office door until it opens, and sitting next to me expectantly until I get up and take him on his walk. This happens at 3:30pm every weekday.
My partner on the other hand used to disappear for hours without telling anyone. Nowadays he texts me to say 'I'm going to disappear for hours'. He also often plans solo hiking holidays where his schedule allows. And I say 'Great, I'll be here when you get back. Probably on this same chair, wearing the same outfit, reading a slightly different book.'
I escape in my imagination to fantasy worlds. I have wanderlust of the soul, but am hampered by a similar sense of responsibility, and now physical limitations as well.
But my imagination lets me soar and I have the priceless gift of sharing my journeys with my readers. I think you funnel much of your desire for escape into your creative endeavors as well, and we all are the richer for it!