My Last Day in Oz and Pearls of Wisdom on the Manly Ferry
What do you do with your last day in Oz? If you’re me, you go surfing. I’m hooked like a crackhead. I didn’t get up much on this run, but it was the greatest way to spend my last few hours. Now I’m bruised all to hell from the board, but I have a pretty decent January tan. Not many other people were getting up either, and I think I had the bad part of the beach (based on the fact that no other surfers were close by). I LOVE that I looked like I knew what I was doing with my Rashie and my Board Shorts. The water was INSANELY cold, as it was the entire time in Sydney. But now I’m confident I can attempt surfing anyplace I go in the world. That’s another check on the “Things Carrie Has to Do in Her Life” list. Yeah.
To get to the airport, I, of course, took the Manly ferry. It was cold and windy for a summer day, but I started the trip determined to sit outside and enjoy my last ferry ride in Sydney. My resolve weakened when the boat started rocking and I was splashed with spray from the harbor. Too cold for that. I went inside and shut the door. Immediately, a lonely old man began talking to me. I’m not sure what most people do in that kind of situation, but I let him talk. I have to consider it some sort of “pay it forward” for the day when I’ll be a lonely old woman talking to strangers on the ferry. In retrospect, I should have recorded every word that man said. He spoke rapidly and forcefully, as if he were trying to convey a lifetime of wisdom in the 30 minute ride. Most of his advice was sound, and well known:
Get your exercise. His old running coach told him over and over how endorphins make you feel better. That coach dropped dead at 80 from lung cancer.
Write letters to your family. They’re way more personal than receiving an email. Maybe I’ll start sending my Mom postcards from abroad. She could keep them in a notebook or something.
When everyone in your surroundings is well, you feel better. Take care of your fellow man and you’ll be rewarded with a clear conscious.
Keep a journal. Only write one line each day including the greatest thing that happened to you. Even if your day was crap.
Be careful about travel. After you’ve been traveling a few years, you can’t settle down to real life like normal people because it’s all too sedentary.
I have to agree with them all, particularly the last. Unfortunately for me, I already crossed that threshold. The man was hard to get away from. He followed me off the boat and down the pier. I was running late, but I just couldn’t be rude. I finally escaped with thanks from him and the knowledge that I can always go back to find him on the Manly ferry. You should always listen to people, you never know what you’ll learn.
– Carrie
Tags: Australia, Carrie, Manly, surfing, Sydney, Travel
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