Where have you been? Where do you want to go? How far is the distance between the two?

If you had a globe handy when you were a kid, you might have played the game made famous in the Pippi Longstocking books. You close your eyes, your friend spins the globe, you put your finger down to stop it, and wherever it lands is your dream destination.

The distance is greatest when you were little. The world you knew best began in your living room and didn’t go much further than your schoolyard or the grocery store.

Anywhere further was beyond your grasp. Of course, there have long been ways to get a glimpse of the world beyond. Back in my day, it was my grandmother that provided a subscription to National Geographic magazine with its monthly forays into nature, primitive cultures, and foreign lands.

You could also get a peek through documentaries on the television, or nowadays, the internet, but the reality was that you were simply observing a screen or a printed page in the comfort of your own familiar home. An abstraction at best.

Methods aside, armchair travel hasn’t changed much over the years. You know the chair, the room, the house, and the neighborhood around it like the back of your hand, but regardless of what kind of mediated telescope you are peering through, that far-flung place only exists in your imagination.

The reality is — no matter where you happen to be while you’re reading this, and no matter how ordinary it may be to you — it’s an exotic destination to someone else.

It’s easy to think you’ve got a good understanding about a far-flung place, but once you get there it’s the tiny details that make all the difference. The sounds, the smells, the vibe all add up to an unknown world. Wherever you go, there you are.

Yesterday I played a little game with the kids who happened to find themselves at my booth. I’ve been whittling down my stacks of vinyl and clearing out my collection of copper cookware by setting up on Sundays at the Vintage French Flea Market in Marin.

On the edge of my table where kids can reach I have a little collection of trinkets and knick-knacks that includes a tiny silver bowl of small change that I’ve accumulated on various trips over the years.

I confront the kids point blank: “Would you like some free money? Go ahead, pick out a coin!” Some are eager, some are bashful, either way, they eventually choose one.

Then I ask: “Ok, now where is it from?” They squint and look closely, sometimes needing help from a parent to figure it out. The entire family is usually baffled by this point — what the heck is this crazy guy up to?

They figure out what country the coin is from, and then I deliver the kicker: “Great! Well, time to start planning your trip! That might be enough to buy an ice cream when you get there!”

They wander away with their parents in tow, marveling at their little treasure. I smile, knowing that while a ten-centavo coin might purchase a piece of gum at best, the inquiry it sparks is priceless.

I imagine them back at their home, curiosity inflamed, making their parents look up everything they can about Australia, Bali, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Germany, Mexico, or New Zealand, egging them on to make plans for a trip. Beyond the garden gates, the yellow brick road awaits.

To close the gap between where you are and where you might go, start with a dream. If you’re reading this in your email, scroll down to the long list of member event links at the bottom and let your finger land on a distant locale.

Like a kid with a coin or girl with her globe, when your dream meets a destination, you’re on your way 😉

Much love till next Monday!

Merci et à bientôt!

M+

ML #680

Mark Metz
Monday Love Movement Calendar