How much of this world...............

The changing of the seasons has always been a good time of year. I like the early morning nip of the air in autumn, or the lingering warmth of spring. Only thing is I am used to a little more moderation in these things. The mercury went below 0 for the first time this season this week, and I found myself outside moving stuff around at work in a rather stinging wind. I am eager to test myself against the coming winter. I guess I have never been colder than around -15. Admittedly I was sleeping outside in a tent at the time, so that should count for something. But now, here, it will be cold in a truely brutal way.

That got me thinking about the limits of your world. How much of what this little planet has to offer have I had the chance to experience. I have been to both the driest and the wettest places on the earth. While I have not been to the hottest or coldest, I have experienced mid 40's on the plus range. I've been 122 degrees east, 128.7 degrees west, 60 degrees north and over 55 degrees south. I've climbed 6400m above sea level and dropped over 2000m below it (or 40something m in it) Of course I have flown all the way around this blue jewel, but that to my mind does not count. It's like counting the countries you have visited by the number of international airports and Hyatts you've been too. To have been somewhere, in my mind, you need to have placed your feet firmly on the soil and breathed deep of the air. You need to have gazed around and listened to the insects and the birds. Or the silence. You need to have met some who lives there and had a small glimpse into their world and their culture. Otherwise you are merely passing through.

With my present job, I will be doing a hell of a lot of passing through. Not that I really want to, but the distances will be great and there is not enough time in this short life to linger everywhere. I hope to grab a snap shot here, or a photo there, and comment much on the land. But when it comes to experiencing things, a lot will be through the hardened glass of my bush truck. Still, the winding roads are alluring and I do enjoy the landscape as I pass through them, even if I don't quite meet them on the terms I set myself.