journeying

Now the spectre of the dissertation has been exorcised, all of the things that I've been putting off are jumping up and down. They can jump by themselves for a bit. I've not got the energy or the inclination to start dealing with them yet.

The dissertation dealt with one of the questions that I first posed when I started this blog...what is it about travel/journey that has the power to bring about personal change? I think I can answer it now. My suggestion if you are the kind of person who loathes academia and bullshitese or personal stuff, to click on one of the links next to this, visit one of my mates, and pop back for a coffee tomorrow.

Everyone travels in one way, shape or form. Whether commuting by car, bus, or train and then there's the planet-killing airplane. Getting into your metal transportation method enables you to switch off your job description for the moment i.e. parent, worker etc and allows you to fill your brain with something else.

When I've been travelling round on the 25 bus, it has amazed me how people make the bus their own personal space: have intimate conversations, pick their noses, cry. This is despite the 30-70 other people sitting/standing next to them. In a bus, everyone is equal. Doesn't matter if you're employed, a student, a mum, an OAP, you've still got to buy your ticket and grab a seat next to someone else. You're essentially sharing your space with 30 other peoples' daydreams.

If you walk, or use a car, the experience changes again, and I like that transient feeling of community that a bus creates. It's social, and I guess I'm a social person. Oh, I realised I left out the bullshitese. In academic speak: a bus creates a liminal space i.e. a space between states, where normal rules don't apply and as Alix said 'it's a space pregnant with possibilites'. Most people just switch off, and given the frantic pace of modern life, that's not necesarily a bad thing.

I use the bus journey to work out plots for stories, personal issues and day dream. Since June when I actively charted my journeys and started this blog, I've been able to deal with some major stuff which has been cluttering up my life. I've made some new friends, strengthened older friendships and I no longer feel like I've got to be in control of life. I'm far more relaxed and hopeful about my future.

I've got a question for you: what did you think about on today's journey? I'm just interested. Be anonymous if it helps, but I'd just like to know what other people think about while they're travelling about.