“Look after yourself Lauren”
Whether it’s nights out on the town, holiday’s with our friends or moving to a different city, mum always says goodbye with, ‘Look after yourself Lauren’.
I know my mum wishes nothing but happiness for me, but the fear of something happening to me when travelling is something that does worry her immensely.
This post is dedicated to you mum.
I know when mum received the news that I was heading back to Australia, she was internally gutted that again, I was moving further afield and I was no longer going to be an hour plane ride across the water.
But there is always a solid explanation for my travelling escapades..
Travelling makes us believe that we can do anything, and trust me, we really do believe that we can do anything. Life is limitless. Travelling shows us that there is more to life than working a minimum wage job and just ‘getting by’.
There is no education greater than the lessons one learns whilst travelling, (I’m a teacher I know lol)
I know you worry about my safety; it’s normal. But I am smart and (Brian keeps me on the right track lol). But I really can look after myself, I promise you. You might fear the worst each time I inform you of my future plans, but the important thing to remember is that you must not live in fear of what may happen, instead let us enjoy the rollercoaster that is life and seeing where it takes us.
You may think that I am aimlessly wandering the world. Being lost at 24 is much better than being 40 years old and looking back at your twenties with regrets of not taking risks. You are probably also worried that I am damaging my hopes of any sort of career due to my constant job hopping and globetrotting, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Travelling really does have the ability to change our lives completely, no matter how cliche that may sound.
Our generation is different. Although they may not be on our door step, this generation has so many more opportunities; and going to university, getting a degree and a job for life is no longer the objective. Travelling is much more eye opening and immersive than a book will ever be. Everyone writes their own chapters and tells their own story. And is there anything better than a really good story?
You know that when we are gone, we do miss home, even if it seems like it is the opposite. You may not see the tough times though, the times we cry because we miss the normality of home life and the support from the people who we’ve spent 20 years surrounded by. We probably won’t tell you we’ve been crying, we will tell you what an amazing time we are having.
We don’t want to worry you with our struggles. You see, we learn to not rely on you – we learn to look after ourselves. But always remember that no matter what happens, we will always return home, even if just briefly. Home really is where the heart is and Bella.
Travelling is there to teach us to no longer rely on our parents, but to trust our instinct and make mistakes for ourselves to learn from.
You have done an amazing job in preparing me for my previous and future travels..
It will not be long before you say those words again..
“Look after yourself Lauren”
Love you mum
xo
I go You go 