Though the jetsetter life full of travel has its appeal, Pete Gavin tells us why he doesn’t fear missing out.
Recently, the father of a close friend passed away at 97. Despite the fact I knew Jeff’s dad pretty well, at his memorial I learned things I never knew about him. During World War II, he saw combat in the Philippines, something surprisingly I never knew. Jeff mentioned when his father returned home to Berkeley, he never spoke about the war, and once he came home, he rarely left.
It felt odd that I never knew this about Jeff’s dad because Jeff is one of my oldest friends; we both attended the same nursery school, we played tennis together in high school and college, Jeff was my best man at my first wedding. How was I only learning this about his father now?
But it also made complete sense to me because as I get older, I too have a decreased desire for travel, for leaving home. I imagine this makes me sort of boring, — perhaps uncultured or pedestrian — compared to many of my friends who it seems are always game to board a plane and jet off to some foreign land, hungry for adventure, new experiences.
Me, more and more these days, I appreciate the sameness of my life. I enjoy the grounding of simple routines. I like being home with my wife, I like my garden, my sanctuary.