Travel…Through the Eyes of a 12-Year-Old

Seat 13A, through the eyes of a child

As adults, we inherently worry about everything. We make things more complicated and often spend too much time analyzing something as simple as why he won’t call, why she said what she did, or whether forgetting where we put the car keys means early signs of Alzheimer’s. We take the easiest task and over-complicate it, and we’re good at it. But sometimes it takes a child’s mind to remind us about the simpler things in life… and how simple things can really be…

I make a point to spend as much time with my nephews (12- and 14-years-old), given my busy schedule. When I’m traveling, we communicate via text messages and we have one very specific rule: Wherever I go, I bring back a pin from my destination. For an easy $2, we get a memory. They have a corkboard on their bedroom walls with all the pins I’ve brought back from cities around the world. It’s our “thing”, and it’s simple.

Yesterday I took time out to watch the 12-year-old’s hockey practice. I went to the rink, and after practice we were going for pizza. A perfect evening. Time alone will open your eyes to what’s happening in their lives — math homework, substitute teachers, class photos and sports try-outs. He asked where I was off to next and I replied, “New York.” He reminded me to bring back a pin and then stopped and asked, “Mel, do you like what you do?”

“Yes, I love it. But it’s hard work,” I said. And then, the 12-year-old looked at me and said, simply:

“What’s so hard? You write essays all day about places around the world, and the people are nice to you because they want you to write something nice about them.”

Well put, kid. I suppose it is that simple.

There are bad days, undoubtedly. There are bad flights, dirty hotels, tough-as-nail editors, kill fees and rejected assignments. There is jetlag and food poisoning, and migraines and leg strains from sitting in an airplane for days at a time. There are nights when I stay awake seeking new themes to static stories, and wondering how long before my next freelance check arrives. But there are the mornings I wake up in a beautiful new country and get to mingle with amazing new people who have something very important to teach me.

Yes, I write essays all day — sometimes a couple sometimes a dozen. I write about culture, food, wine, hotels, airports and airplanes and most of the time, yes, people are very nice to me. And when I think about it he’s right – what’s so hard about living my dream?

It’s amazing what we can learn when told through the eyes of a 12-year-old.